
4 

















COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 









I 





THOSE ON SHORE SET UP A LOUD SHOUT OF TRIUMPH. 



RAISING THE “PEARL” 


“toby TYLER ” 


By JAMES OTIS l\. . ^ 

I 


AUTHOR OP 

“MR. STUBBS’S BROTHER” “ TIM AND TIP 


ILLUSTRATED 



ETC. 


NEW YORK 

HARPER k BROTHERS, FRANKLIN SQUARE 

1884 





HARPER’S YOUNG PEOPLE SERIES. 


Illustrated. 16mo, Cloth, $1.00 per rolume 


TOBY TYLER; OR, TEN WEEKS WITH A CIRCUS. By JAMES OTIS. 

MR. STUBBS’S BROTHER. A Sequel to “Toby Tyler.’’ By James Otis. 

TIM AND TIP; OR, THE ADVENTURES OF A BOY AND A DOG. By JAMES OTIS. 
RAISING THE “ PEARL." By JAMES OTIS. 

NAN. By LUCY C. LiLLiE. 

MILDRED’S BARGAIN, AND OTHER STORIES. By LUCT C. LILLIE. 

THE MORAL PIRATES. By W. L. Alden. 

THE CRUISE OF THE “ GHOST.” By W. L. Alden. 

THE CRUISE OF THE CANOE CLUB. By W. L. Alden. 

THE TALKING LEAVES. An Indian Story. By W. O. STODDARD. 

WHO WAS PAUL GRAYSON ? By JOHN Habbekton, Author of “ Helen’s Babies.” 
THE FOUR MACNICOLS. By WILLIAM BLACK. 


Published by HARPER & BROTHERS, New York. 

I®" Any of the above worke will be sent by mail, postage prepaid, to any part of the 

United States, on receipt of the price. 



r 


Copyright, 1888, by Harper & Brothers. 




CONTENTS 


CHAP. PAGE 

I. Captain Sammy’s Offer 9 

II. The Amateur Pirate 20 

III. Open Piracy. 32 

IV. On Dollar Island 44 

V. Sea-urchins . 55 

VI. The Wreck 67 

VIL Rescued 81 

VIII. Working on the Rafts 91 

IX. A Discouraged Pirate 104 

X. The Work of the Tide 117 

XL High and Dry 124 

XII. The Launch 134 

XIII. The Voyage Begun 144 

XIV. Coral Reefs 155 

XV. The Night Alarm . . . .’ 164 

XVI. Unsuccessful Plotting 174 

XVII. About Turtles 185 

XVIII. Up the Caloosahatchee 190 


6 


Contents. 


CHAP. PAGE 

XIX. Captain Sammy’s Peril 200 

XX. The Reconciliation 210 

XXI. In the Trackless Forest 220 

XXII. Out of the Wilderness 228 

XXIII. The Everglades 236 

XXIV, Lost on Lake Okechobee 244 

XXV. Sunshine after the Storm 254 

XXVI. Homeward Bound 264 

XXVII. Reckless Steering 273 

XXVIII. The News at Tampa 282 

XXIX. The Farewell Dinner 290 


ILLUSTEATIONS 


PAGE 

Those on Shoke Set up a Loud Shout op Triumph . Frontispiece 
“Now, THEN, WHAT MiSCHIEF ARE YOU BOYS UP TO . . . . 13 

“ I’m Thomas Tucker !” 27 

“Where’s the Old Heathen Gone?” 39 

“ Why didn’t You Chew ’em all up ?” • . . 49 

“They’ve Stepped on some Sea-urchins, that’s all” ... 61 
The Boat Hung for a Single Instant over the Reef . . 75 

The Arrival op the Rescuing Party 87 

Building the Rafts 97 

The Boys Discover the Pirate 107 

“Now that’s what I CALL BUSINESS” ......... 129 

Taking in Stores 147 

“It’s Me — Tommy Tucker — an’ I’m Awful Hungry” . . .169 
Suddenly He saw Captain Sammy Throw the Harpoon . .181 

“ Captain Sammy’s Overboard !” 205 

“You HAVE Saved my Life, Lad” 215 

“The Spectre” 224 

Dare Fired at Him Quickly 229 


8 


Illustrations, 


PAGE 

Evert one, save Captain Sammy, was Hurled from his Seat 249 

“ The ‘ Pearl’s ’ all Right !” 259 

The Boys Adding to their Stock op Curious Birds . . . 267 

Dare was Tugging away at the Cable 279 

The Farewell Dinner with Captain Sammy 295 


RAISING THE “PEARL.” 


Chapter I. 



CAPTAIN SAMMY’S OFFER. 

’D risk the chances of raising her if she was 
ours, and it wouldn’t be such a very hard job, 
after all. She must be within ten feet of low- 
water mark, and the water there at ebb-tide can’t 
be more than four feet deep.” 

This remark was made by the eldest of three boys who 
were standing on the shore of Hillsboro’ Bay, about half a 
mile from the little town of Tampa, in the State of Flor- 
ida ; and it referred to a small steam-yacht, the spars and 
smoke-stack of which were just visible above the surface of 
the water. 

These boys, Darrell Evans, his brother Charley, and his 
cousin, Kobert Hayes, were New York boys, who had been 
permitted to accompany Mr. and Mrs. Evans in the latter’s 


lo Raising the ''Pearls 

search for health, with the agreement that they should con- 
tinue their studies while there as regularly as if they had 
remained at school. 

Tampa had been selected by the physicians as the place 
where the invalid should spend the winter, and the boys 
on their arrival were greatly disappointed at finding that 
they were not on the coast, where they could realize their 
dreams of turtle-fishing and sponge-gathering. 

On the second day after their arrival one of the boys 
of the town had told them of a famous little steam- 
yacht which Captain Sammy Basset owned, but which 
had been run on a rock, a short distance from the town, 
and sunk. 

Captain Sammy, whom this boy represented as being a 
surly, ill-tempered old sea-captain, who had lost one leg by 
a pressing invitation from a shark, had not done anything 
toward raising his property from her watery resting-place, 
and had even been heard to say that she might lie there 
until she went to pieces, for all he cared about her. 

Of course the boys were very anxious to see the craft, 
even though they could have no idea that they would ever 
own her, and on the first opportunity they visited the spot 
where she lay, regardless of the heat, which, even in No- 
vember, was uncomfortable. 

From what it was possible to see of the boat beneath the 


Raising the "Rearir 1 1 

water she was evidently not large, but appeared to be the 
exact size of their idea of a craft for their own sailing. 
It seemed a shame that so beautiful a boat should be left 
to go to pieces, more especially since the boy who had first 
given them information regarding her told them that the 
only injury she had sustained was a hole that had been 
stove in her bow. 

“It’s a shame to let such a handsome boat stay there, 
w^hen a little work would make her as good as new;” and 
there was a very perceptible shade of envy in Charley’s 
tones as he spoke. 

“ Don’t you suppose we could buy her ?” 

“ There is only one thing that would prevent us, Bobby, 
and that is the money,” laughed Dare. “ I don’t think this 
party has got more than ten dollars in cash, and that amount 
wouldn’t buy the paddle-boxes.” 

“ Perhaps Captain Sammy would let us have her cheap, 
since he says he won’t do anything toward raising her, and 
we might get father to buy her for us,” suggested Charley ; 
but he did not speak as if he had any very great belief in 
such a possibility. 

“That boy who told us about her said that Captain 
Sammy was a regular old shark himself, so I guess there 
isn’t very much chance that he would sell her unless we 
should pay him all she is worth and Dare shook his head 


12 Raising the 'Rearir 

sadly at the thought that the owner of such a beautiful 
craft should be such an illiberal citizen. 

The boys were so deeply engaged in conversation that 
they had not noticed the approach of a short, fat man, with 
a wooden leg, who was stumping along the beach at a furi- 
ous rate, as if he was thoroughly angry with himself and 
every one around him. 

“Now, then, what mischief are you boys up to ? Think- 
ing of burning my boat he growled, rather than said, as 
he reached the yacht - admiring group; and his presence 
there was so unexpected that the boys started as if they 
had really been meditating some act of mischief. 

“Well, why don’t you answer me?” he demanded, furi- 
ously, as the boys were still too much surprised by his ap- 
pearance to speak. “Tell me what you’re doing here;” 
and the little man jammed the wooden stick that served 
him as leg into the sand much as if he was trying to make 
a passage through which he could go when he was ready to 
take his departure. 

“We came here to look at the yacht, sir,” replied Dare, 
angry that the little man should speak in such a way, and 
conscious that they were doing no wrong. “We surely 
can’t do any mischief to a sunken boat.” 

“ I don’t know about that,” was the fierce reply, and the 
one-legged man began to grow red in the face, as if making 


NOW, THEN, WHAT MISCHIEF ARE YOU BOYS UP TO ? 





15 


Raising the ^Rearir 

every exertion to keep his anger within bounds. ‘‘We’ll 
see whether you could or not, after you tell me what you 
came here for.” 

“We came to look at the yacht.” 

“ Well, what were you going to do then ?” 

“ I’m sure I don’t know, sir,” replied Dare, with a smile, 
as he began to think that the greater portion of Captain 
Sammy’s ferocity might be assumed. 

The little man bored at the hole in the sand in an impa- 
tient way, and then asked, speaking each word with a jerk 
of the head, as if it was only by a muscular effort that he 
could utter it, “Well, now that you’ve seen the yacht, what 
are you goin’ to do about it ?” 

“ I don’t suppose we can do anything about it,” replied 
Dare, with a laugh ; “ but we can’t help thinking that it is 
too bad to let such a nice boat lie there under the water.” 

“ So you set yourself up to tell Captain Sammy Basset 
what he shall do, eh ?” and the little man appeared to grow 
furious again. “If you think that craft ought to be floated, 
why don’t you bear a hand and do it ?” 

“ We’d be glad to if she was ours,” said Charley, eagerly, 
as a sudden hope came to him that perhaps, after all, some 
bargain might be made with the owner. 

“ So you couldn’t do it for the sake of helping any one 
else, eh ?” 


1 6 Raising the '‘Rearir 

“ Indeed we could and would, if you wanted us to,” re- 
plied Dare, quickly, for he had no idea of being considered 
selfish even by this queer-acting stranger. 

“Well, I don’t want you to help me,” snapped Captain 
Sammy, “ and I suppose I can do as I want to with my 
own property, even if she does go to pieces. But I don’t 
see why you boys should have come away out here just to 
look at a sunken boat, for even if she was afloat and ready 
to sail, you wouldn’t know where to go with her, if she was 
yours.” 

“ Indeed we should,” said Charley, quickly ; “ we should 
sail straight for the Caloosahatchee River, and go through 
that into Lake Okeechobee, in order to get into the Ever- 
glades.” 

“ What do you know about the Everglades, and why do 
you want to go there?” snarled Captain Sammy, at the 
same time seating himself on the sand, as if he intended 
the conversation should be a long one. 

“We don’t know very much about them, and perhaps 
that is the reason why we are so anxious to go. I have 
read that scientific men think the entire lower portion 
of the State was originally formed of coral reefs, and 
that in the Everglades the forms of the reefs can still be 
seen.” 

“ And the hunting is so good there !” 


Raising the ‘Rearli' 17 

‘‘And the fish so plenty!” Charley and Bobby added, 
eagerly. 

“ I guess it is the hunting and fishing rather than any 
scientific question that causes you to want to go there !” and 
as Captain Sammy spoke he came very near smiling — an 
act so entirely out of keeping with his supposed character, 
that had any of the village boys seen it they might have 
been seriously alarmed. 

Dare thought it best not to contradict the little man, for 
in his guessing he had come too near the truth to admit 
of any denial. 

“Now, look here” — and Captain Sammy assumed a stern 
air again — “are you boys so foolish as to believe you could 
fioat that yacht if she belonged to you ?” 

“I believe we could,” was Dare’s decided answer. “I 
don’t exactly know how we should go to work to do it ; 
but I am sure that we could get it done in time.” 

“ She is forty feet long.” 

“Larger boats than she have been raised from a greater 
depth.” 

“ She is ten feet wide.” 

“ Then it would be easier to raise her than if she was 
narrow.” 

“ And she has a ten-horse-power engine on board.” 

“ A ffood deal of that could be taken out at low water.” 

2 


1 8 Raising the ^'Pearli' 

“ Then her port bow is stove in, and in repairing that 
it will be necessary to put nearly a new bottom on.” 

“But one of the boys told us that she was flat, so it 
would not be such a hard job.” 

Captain Sammy looked at Dare a moment, as if he was 
angry with him for making light of all his objections, and 
then said, in a musing way, which raised Charley’s hopes 
very high, “ There couldn’t be a better boat built to cruise 
around Florida in than that same little Pearl that lies un- 
der the water there. She can steam eight miles an hour, 
only draws fifteen inches of water, and can stand a pretty 
heavy sea, which is more than you can say for some larger 
craft.” 

“Is her name the Pearl asked Bobby, his eyes grow- 
ing larger, and his desire to own such a boat growing more 
intense, as Captain Sammy spoke of the good points of the 
sunken steamer. 

“ The Pearly of Tampa Bay,” continued the little man. 
“ I built her at odd jobs, thinking it would be handy to 
have a steam craft to run around in, for I own a good 
many turtling and sponging schooners, and have to run 
back and forth a good deal. But I found that there was 
nothing like the motion of a sailing craft, and when a 
greenhorn, who had borrowed the Pea/d, sunk her there, 
I didn’t care so very much.” 


19 


Raising the ^^Fearl^ 

‘‘How much would you sell her for, just as she lies?” 
asked Dare, forgetting the remark he had made a short 
time before as to the finances of the party. 

“ I ain’t trying to sell her,” said Captain Sammy, with 
another show of anger ; “ and I haven’t said I wanted to ; 
but if you boys have got pluck enough to raise and repair 
her, you shall use her as long as you stay in Florida.” 

“Do you mean that?” asked Dare, in surprise; and 
Charley gave Bobby such a vigorously triumphant poke 
with his elbow as to make that young gentleman’s ribs 
sore for some hours after. 

“ Of course I meant it, or else I shouldn’t have said it. 
But mind what I say : if you don’t do the work in ship- 
shape way I shall take a reef in my offer.” 

Hot one of the three boys could overcome his surprise 
at the little captain’s proposition in time to thank him for 
it, for as soon as he had spoken he arose and hobbled rap- 
idly off, as if he feared they might attempt to detain him. 

When he was some distance away he turned around and 
shouted, loudly, 

“Kemernber that the job has got to be done properly, or 
I shall back out of the bargain, even if you have floated 
her;” and then he started off at full speed again, while 
the three boys appeared much as if they thought they 
had dreamed of instead of heard Captain Sammy’s offer. 


20 


Raising the Pearl! 


Chapter II. 



THE AMATEUR PIRATE. 

^FTER the boys recovered from the surprise into 
which Captain Sammy had plunged them they 
at once began to lay plans for the raising of the 
craft which had come into their possession so 
unexpectedly. The conversation soon assumed an argu- 
mentative tone, and it was nearly dark before they realized 
that they had spent the afternoon in almost useless talk, 
and yet had a walk of half a mile before they could get 
any supper. 

For the twofold purpose of getting something to eat and 
to consult Mr. Evans on the best method of setting about 
the work they had so suddenly taken upon themselves, 
they started toward their boarding-house at full speed. 

They were nearly home, when a small-sized boy with a 
very large -sized coat appeared from behind one of the 
buildings, making the most frantic signals to attract their 
attention. He presented such a comical appearance as he 
stood there, holding his large coat from actually flying out 


Raising the Pearl!' 21 

on the breeze, that the boys would have stopped to listen to 
him, even though they had been in much more of a hurry 
than they were. 

The stranger came toward them stealthily, as if he had 
an idea some one might try to prevent him, and when he 
was as near as he could get without actually touching 
them he said, in a most mysterious whisper, 

“ Come down to the beach in half an hour.” 

He made no attempt to say anything more, but as soon 
as he had delivered his message, or command, he darted 
back behind the building again so quickly that hardly any- 
thing could be seen save the fluttering of one ragged and 
patched coat-tail as its owner turned the corner. 

It was too mysterious a summons to be disregarded. 
The supper was eaten hastily, Mr. Evans given a very brief 
account of Captain Sammy’s proposition, and then the boys 
started at full speed for the beach, their curiosity to know 
what was wanted of them driving nearly all thought of the 
yacht out of their mind for the time being. 

Had the large-coated boy been a traitor to both State 
and friends he could not have acted in a more mysterious 
manner than while he was delivering his message; and 
Bobby could almost feel his hat lifted from his head by 
his hair as it tried to stand on end, when he realized that 
they were hastening at the height of their speed to the 


22 Raising the '‘'‘Pearls 

rendezvous where all sorts of horrible trials might be 
awaiting them. 

Only the thought that his cousins would think him a 
coward prevented him from refusing then and there to 
move another step seaward, and he moved along a few 
paces in the rear of the others, feeling as if he were hast- 
ening to some horrible doom. 

Prompt as they had been in obeying the summons, they 
found the mysterious stranger at the appointed place be- 
fore them. He was standing in the shade cast by some 
mangrove-trees, and as soon as the three boys came in sight 
he started toward them, much as if he fancied each individ- 
ual inhabitant of the town was on the alert to prevent him 
from keeping his appointment. He stepped lightly and 
cautiously, as if he feared the very sound of his footsteps 
might betray him, and glanced behind him every few mo- 
ments to make sure he had not been followed. 

His excessive precaution in a quiet town like Tampa 
increased Bobby’s fears to an alarming degree, and he 
was obliged to exercise the full power of his will to pre- 
vent himself from running away. 

As when he had met them earlier in the evening, it 
was not until he was so near to them that a whisper could 
be heard that the new-comer spoke, and then he asked, as 
he glanced suspiciously around. 


Raising the ''Pearir 23 

‘‘ Did anybody know you was cornin’ here ?” 

“No one but my father and mother,” replied Dare, 
Wondering what all these precautions could mean; and 
Bobby was now more positive than ever that a plan was 
on foot to rob them. 

“What made you tell them?” asked the boy, in an 
angry tone. “Now, just as likely as not they’ll tell the 
rest of the folks, an’ they’ll come down here an’ nab us.” 

“ They won’t tell any one,” replied Dare, hesitatingly ; 
“ but if they should, why would any one trouble us ?” 

“ Hush !” exclaimed the boy, warningly, as he crept cau- 
tiously around on his tiptoes, looking suspiciously at each 
shadow, as if he thought an enemy might be lurking near. 
Then, having examined the vicinity thoroughly, he beck- 
oned them to come down nearer the water, where he 
crouched behind a small clump of bushes. 

Now, Bobby would not have been frightened by this one 
boy; but from the manner in which he had spoken it 
seemed almost certain that there were others somewhere 
near, who would spring upon them at a given signal. 

“ Don’t go,” he said, as Dare and Charley started to fol- 
low their mysterious acquaintance. “ There may be a whole 
crowd round here somewhere who will try to rob us.” 

“ Now, don’t be foolish. Bob. No one would try to rob 
us ; and I want to know what this fellow has got to tell us.” 


24 


Raising the "'^Pearir 

Charley was quite as anxious as Dare was to solve this 
apparent mystery, and, very much against his will, Bobby 
was obliged to follow or be left behind alone. 

“ Get down here where nobody can see us,” said the boy, 
as he crouched closer behind the bushes ; “ an’ if you hear 
a lot of men cornin’, run jest as fast as you can.” 

“ What for ?” asked Charley, in surprise. 

“ What for ?” repeated the boy. “ Why, don’t you know 
who I be?” and he spoke as if he felt greatly injured be- 
cause they had not recognized him. 

I never saw you before,” said Dare, looking at the boy 
more closely, thinking it just possible that he might have 
met him somewhere. 

“I don’t s’pose you ever did; but hain’t you heard of 
me ’round Tampa yet ? Didn’t Cap’n Sammy tell you all 
about me?” 

“ No,” replied the boys, in one breath, and Bobby forgot 
his suspicious fears in his desire to know what distinguish- 
ed person they had among them. 

‘‘Then cross your throats that you won’t tell nobody 
you was here with me,” said the boy, sternly. 

Dare was about to take the required oath, when he re- 
membered that his mother would surely ask some ques- 
tions about how they had spent the evening, and he said, 
quickly, 


Raising the ‘’‘Pearls 25 

“We won’t tell any one but mother, and she’ll have to 
know all about it.” 

“Well! when I saw you fellers I thought you’d have 
more nerve than to run right to your mother with every- 
thing you know,” said the boy, contemptuously. 

Such sarcasm had very little effect on Dare. He was a 
boy who would never have thought for a moment of do- 
ing anything he could not tell his mother, and he had not 
the slightest desire to embark in any venture about which 
he could not talk freely with her. He considered her the 
truest friend and confidante a boy can ever have, and he 
said, quite sharply, 

“I don’t want you to tell me anything I can’t tell my 
mother, and I’d have you know that it would take more 
of what you call ‘ nerve ’ for me not to run to her.” 

The boy was evidently abashed, and to cover his con- 
fusion he went through the form of scurrying around to 
see if any one was concealed near them. When he came 
back he said, in the lowest of whispers, which he tried to 
make sound as hoarse as possible, in order to give more 
effect, 

“ I’m Thomas Tucker 1 ” Then he started back, as if he 
expected to hear an exclamation of surprise from his lis- 
teners. 

But none was heard. The name sounded peaceful 


26 


Raising the "'Pearir 

enough, and they could not understand why so much cau- 
tion had been used in telling it. 

“ Don’t you know who I am now 

“ I never knew of any one by that name,” said Dare, 
and the others declared that they were equally ignorant. 

^‘Well, I don’t see what the matter is. You can’t have 
been ’round this town much if you never heard of me, an’ 
I thought sure Cap’n Sammy would have told you ; but I 
s’pose he didn’t want to scare you at first;” and Master 
Tucker seemed to find a deal of consolation in the thought. 

Why, who are you ?” asked Charley, impatient at the 
delay in learning who this evidently important though 
small and dirty person was. 

I’m a pirate !” and Master Tucker assumed a ferocious 
air as he gave this startling information ; and then he 
added, confidentially, “ That is, I shall be as soon as I get 
a crew an’ a boat an’ some pistols.” 

It was impossible for the boys to make any reply to this 
bold assertion ; they were even at a loss to know what he 
meant. 

“I’ll tell you all about it,” said the pirate Tommy, in 
the most friendly tone,'aud without the slightest tinge of 
blood-thirstiness about him. “ I’ve turned a reg’lar pirate, 
an’ I’ve got a black fiag that I made out of a piece of moth- 
er’s dress, an’ the folks in this town know all about it. 



i’M THOMAS TUCKER I 










29 


Raising the ''Pearls 

’cause I tried to get some of the fellers here to join me, an’ 
they went an’ told. Folks is awfully afraid of me, an’ I 
don’t s’pose Cap’n Sammy would go out in one of his boats 
after dark when I was ’round — not if he knew he could get 
six turtles for nothin’. That’s why I had to be so careful 
when I asked you to come here to-night, ’cause if any of 
the folks thought I was shippin’ a crew they’d be sure to 
come down here an’ arrest us all.” 

Bobby looked around timidly, as if he expected to see at 
least a dozen officers of the law ready to pounce on him at 
once, and he bitterly regretted that he had thus put himself 
in the power of a regular pirate. Dare and Charley did 
not appear to be troubled in the least, and Bobby could not 
account for their unconcern, unless it was that the pirate 
was so small. 

^‘But why did you tell us who you are?” asked Charley, 
not understanding why these disclosures had been made to 
them. 

‘‘ That’s the very thing,” said Tommy Tucker, eagerly. 
“I want to get a crew — I’ve got one now, but he can’t 
come out after dark, an’ so he hain’t much good — an’ the 
very minute I saw you fellers I know’d you’d be jest the 
ones as would like to turn pirates.” 

It was not much of a compliment to their personal 
appearance; but Master Tucker did not appear to think 


30 Raising the Pearls 

he had said anything out of the way, and he hastened to 
add, 

‘‘I heard that Captain Sammy had told you that you 
might have the Pearl if you could float her, an’ I’ve had 
my eye on you since that, ’cause she’d make the best kind 
of a boat for a pirate, an’ if you’ll join me we shall have a 
boat an’ a crew all at once. Of course I should be captain, 
but you fellers could be mates, an’ Ikey Jones — that’s the 
other feller — could be the crew. You see, the first thing 
that made me want to be a pirate was so I could serve 
Captain Sammy out. He thinks he’s awful smart, he does, 
an’ one day he took ofl his leg an’ give me a whippin’ 
’cause I was tryin’ to have a little fun with his turtles.” 

“ Took ofl his leg !” repeated Bobby, forgetting the little 
captain’s infirmity. 

‘‘ His wooden one, you know ; he can take it off awful 
quick when he wants to. How, I jest want to catch him, 
an’ — an’ — well. I’ll serve him out in some way. How, say, 
will you join me ?” 

Aside from the wickedness of the business, neither of the 
boys had any desire to become pirates ; for, even though it 
had not occurred to Tommy, they wisely concluded that it 
was not such a business as would flourish any length of 
time, more especially if Captain Sammy should come after 
them, with his leg in his hand. 


Raising the ’‘'Pearir 31 

‘‘ IN’o, Tommy, we don’t want to turn pirates,” said Dare, 
thinking the matter too foolish and trifling to make much 
conversation about. 

“ You’re reg’lar cowards, that’s what’s the matter with 
you !” shouted Master Tucker, angrily, as he retreated to 
what he considered would be a safe distance. “ But you’ll 
hear from me again, an’ then you’ll be sorry you didn’t 
join me. Remember Thomas Tucker and his vengeance !” 

Then the pirate with neither crew nor vessel disappeared 
in a stealthy way, as if the officers of the law were already 
on his track. 

And the three boys did hear from Master Tucker again, 
although at the time they did not think there was a pos- 
sibility that they should. 


32 


Raising the Pear 11 


Chaptee hi. 



OPEN PIEACY. 

HE idea of a boy so small as Tommy Tucker 
turning pirate, in the belief that he could thereby 
better wreak his vengeance on Captain Sammy, was 
very funny to our three boys, as they walked home 
that night ; and lengthy was the discussion as to how long 
he might continue his piratical career. 

Mrs. Evans did not think Tommy was such a dangerous 
character as to make it necessary for her to inform the 
authorities of his whereabouts, and, greatly to Dare’s re- 
lief, she promised to say nothing about the matter. But 
she did insist that the boys should not become friendly 
with him, unless it was to try to persuade him of the evil 
and folly of his ways. 

Bobby was not in favor of acting as missionary to Mas- 
ter Tommy, for he was rather inclined to be afraid of him ; 
but Dare promised to try to do the would-be pirate chief- 
tain all the good he could, although he hardly thought he 


Raising the Pearls 33 

could effect as much with his tongue as Captain Sammy 
could with his leg. 

That night, after the question of Tommy’s piracy had 
been discussed, the boys laid Captain Sammy’s offer before 
Mr. Evans more in detail than they had done before sup- 
per, and, to their great delight, were told that they might 
suspend their studies during the time they vrere engaged 
in raising the Pearly provided they gathered all possible in- 
formation as to the supposed formation and history of the 
Everglades. Mrs. Evans also stipulated that they study, 
from such authorities as were obtainable, the cause and 
formation of the coral reefs which enframed the State of 
Florida in a net-work so dangerous to navigation. 

Such study as that seemed but play, and they were per- 
fectly willing to give the required promises. 

On the following morning they were at the wreck of the 
Pearl nearly as soon as the sun had peeped over the trees 
at the quaint little town of Tampa ; and they had brought 
their dinner with them, in order that they might not be 
obliged to waste any time in the walk to the hotel for 
something to eat. 

As yet they had no idea how they were to go to work to 
raise the sunken steamer. Dare had asked his father to 
advise with them as to how they should proceed ; but Mr. 
Evans had refused to have anything to say about the mat- 

3 


34 


Raising the Pear IP 

ter, alleging that, since Captain Sammy had made such an 
offer as he had, it was but right that they should work and 
plan unaided, for that was the price they were to pay for 
the use of the boat after she was afloat. 

It was high-water when they arrived on the beach oppo- 
site the point where the Pearl lay submerged, and it 
seemed much more of a task to raise her than it had ap- 
peared when a portion of her upper works was visible. 

Both Charley and Bobby looked upon Dare as the leader 
of the enterprise; therefore, instead of making any sug- 
gestions as to the work on hand, they looked to him for 
orders. 

Dare was almost at a loss to know how they should set 
about their work, although he had spoken so confldently the 
day before ; but he did not then care to acknowledge that 
fact fully. 

“ I don’t exactly know how we are going to raise her,” 
he said, after as long a delay as he dared to make, lest his 
companions should discover how entirely he was at a loss 
to know how to proceed; “but there is one thing sure, 
and that is, we must build some stout rafts, which we can 
anchor along-side of her.” 

As he said this a perfectly feasible plan for raising the 
boat presented itself, and he added, 

“If we could make rafts large and stout enough, we 


35 


Raising the Pear ir 

could get some chain-cables, pass them under the Pearl at 
low-water, and make them fast to the rafts. When the tide 
rises, of course the rafts would raise the steamer, and we 
could float her in nearer the shore, doing the same thing 
each day, until we got her where she would be wholly un- 
covered at low-water.” 

The plan seemed so simple that the other boys came to 
the conclusion that raising steamboats was the easiest thing 
in life, and the question of how large the rafts should be 
was being discussed, when Captain Sammy was seen stump- 
ing along the beach toward them. 

“Well, boys, have you got the Pea/rl afloat yet?” 

“We’ve hardly had time for that yet, sir,” replied Dare; 
“ but we shall do it.” 

Then Dare asked the little man what he thought of the 
plan he had just proposed, and was delighted at the hearty 
approval it met with. 

“ I have got some small chain-cables that will be just the 
thing, and you can go to my dock for them whenever you 
are ready for them. Of course the success of your plan 
depends more upon your raft than anything else, and if 
you’ll row me over to that little island there I’ll show you 
some trees that will make excellent timbers for the heavier 
portions, although, of course, it will take you some time to 
get them ready for use.” 


36 Raising the '‘'Pearls 

As he spoke Captain Sammy pointed to a small island, 
about two miles from where they were standing, and 
which appeared to be covered with a fine growth of heavy 
timber. 

Dare’s idea had been that they could buy some thick 
planks, which would make better rafts than any they could 
build of trunks of trees; but thinking Captain Sammy 
might have some reasons of his own for wanting to visit 
Dollar Island, as it was called, he agreed to the proposition, 
and all started for the little captain’s boat. 

Before Dollar Island was reached the boys found that 
Captain Sammy could be quite a tyrant when he was on 
the water, for he kept them pulling at the oars, while he 
sat in the stern-sheets and steered, much as if they were a 
crew which were obliged to serve him. 

But it was not such a remarkably hard pull, after all, 
and when they stepped ashore on the beautiful little island 
they felt fully repaid for their work. 

‘‘Now, one of you stay by the boat, while the others 
come with me around the shore,” said Captain Sammy, 
as he placed the luncheon the boys had brought with them 
carefully under the stern seat, and then started along the 
shore, leaving them to follow as they chose. 

Bobby was anxious to be left as boat-keeper, a position 
which Dare and Charley were only too willing to accord 


37 


Raismg the Pearls 

him ; so they started off after the little captain, while 
Bobby curled himself up on the bank, where he could 
watch the boat and take his ease at the same time. 

He had been on guard in this leisurely fashion more 
than an hour, when he was startled by a sound from among 
the trees just behind him, and at the same time saw a little 
round head, surmounted by a wonderful kind of cap, just 
moving out from behind the trunk of a tree. 

“ Who’s that ?” he asked, quickly. 

“ Captain Thomas Tucker,” was the bold reply, in a very 
thin, squeaky voice, as the rather diminutive form of the 
pirate chieftain came into view, closely followed by another 
boy, of about the same size and appearance, whom Bobby 
concluded was the pirate crew, Ikey Jones. 

Master Tucker still wore the long coat, but he had made 
several additions to it. On each shoulder was sewn a piece 
of yellow cloth, evidently intended as epaulettes; around 
his waist was a large piece of red flannel, tied as a sash, 
and in this was stuck a pistol, without a lock, and a small 
carving-knife. The cap was evidently the pirate’s crown- 
ing glory ; it had several strips of red and yellow cloth 
tied around it, with long ends hanging down on one 
side, while in the gay-colored folds were fastened several 
feathers, that gave a startling appearance to the whole 
costume. 


38 Raising the "'‘Pearir 

The crew, as represented in the meek-looking person of 
Ikey Jones, wore no distinguishing marks of a sanguinary 
calling save a leathern belt around the waist, in which was 
placed a not very dangerous-looking table-knife. 

Now, Bobby was rather a coward, more especially when 
he was alone, and the appearance of these two avowed 
pirates, when he thought his party were the only ones on 
the island, rather frightened him. 

“ Where’s the old heathen gone ?” asked Master Tucker, 
as sternly as his thin voice would permit. 

“ Who asked Bobby, in surprise. 

“ The old heathen — Captain Sammy.” 

“ He’s somewhere along the shore, with Dare and Char- 
ley. How did you get here ?” 

“Took an old boat that would just hold together, an’ 
started after you did.” 

Bobby trembled with apprehension, for if the piratical 
crew had followed them so closely they must have had 
some sinister motive. 

“Look here, now,” said Tommy, as he and Ikey went 
toward Captain Sammy’s boat: “here’s me an’ Ikey Jones, 
an’ there’s you. Now, that’s enough to make a little pi- 
rate’s crew, if you say you’ll come with us. You shall be 
the mate, an’ boss Ikey ’round as much as you want to. 
Will you do it ?” And Tommy began to push the boat off. 



“where’s the old heathen gone?” 







Raising the '' Pear W 41 

as though there was no question but that Bobby would 
accept the offer. 

No, I won’t ; and you mustn’t touch the boat, or Cap- 
tain Sammy will be angry,” said Bob. But his courage 
was not sufficient to admit of his going down to the boat 
and pulling her up on to the beach again. 

“I’ll tell you what I’ll do if you’ll come,” said Mas- 
ter Tucker, persuasively, having now launched the boat 
until she was held only by the anchor-rope. “Ikey has 
to go home every night at seven o’clock, an’ I’ll let 
you go too, so’s you won’t get into any trouble with your 
aunt.” 

This idea of being a pirate by day and a peaceful citi- 
zen by night was a new phase of life to Bobby, but yet he 
was not pleased with it. 

“ I tell you I don’t want to be a pirate,” he repeated ; 
“ and you must pull the boat up again, for Captain Sammy 
will be here pretty soon.” 

Tommy glanced over his shoulder quickly to assure 
himself that the little man was not in sight, and then he 
said, sternly, while Ikey Jones got behind him, in order to 
be safe in case Bobby should be made angry, 

“There’s no use talkin’, for I’m a reg’lar pirate now, 
an’ you don’t want to fool ’round much with me. I come 
here to get this boat, an’ to have you fellers join me ; but 


42 


Raising the ''Pearli' 

if you won’t, I’ll take the boat anyhow, an’ I’ll serve you 
out awful if you try to stop me.” 

“Blit it’s stealing to take her, and we can’t get home 
again if we don’t have her.” 

“ I can’t help that, for I’m a pirate,” was the brief reply 
of Master Tucker, as he motioned his crew to get on board, 
and then giving the boat a vigorous push, he jumped into 
her, and the pirates vrere afloat. 

It was not until the little craft was at such a distance 
from the shore that it was impossible to get at her that 
Bobby had sufficiently recovered from his fear and surprise 
to run down to the beach. There he called, imploringly, 

“ Come back. Tommy ! come back, an’ don’t be so mean 
as to steal Captain Sammy’s boat !” 

Tommy paid no attention to the appeal. He had come 
out that morning all equipped for his piratical work, and 
he proceeded to business at once. 

He took from his pocket the symbol of his new calling 
— the horrible black flag, which had been made from pieces 
of a dress of his mother’s. The material, which was about 
one yard long and half as wide, had originally been black, 
but was now a sort of dingy green. In the centre was 
what had probably been intended for a skull and cross- 
bones made of white cloth, but which really Idoked like an 
unskilfully made Jack-o’-lantern with the face chalked. 


43 


Raising the '' Pear ir 

This terrible symbol of death Master Tucker tied to one 
of the oars, and planted it firmly in the bow of the boat, 
where it hung as innocently as ever it did on Mrs. Tucker’s 
person. 

Then, seating himself in the stern- sheets, with the tiller- 
ropes in his hands, the newly-fledged pirate gave the order 
for his crew to pull at the oars, and the piratical craft 
slowly left the island, while Bobby stood on the beach 
in a state of agitation not easily to be described. 


44 


Raising the '‘'Pearl. 


Chapter IV. 



ON DOLLAR ISLAND. 

PHEN Bobby stood watching Toirimy Tucker and 
Ikey Jones as they sailed slowly away, he realized 
that it was no longer possible for him to leave 
the island until some boat should pass that way, 
or come directly to their assistance. 

Bad as such a position was, Bobby did not look at it as 
the worst of his troubles. He had yet to meet Captain 
Sammy, and explain what he, who had been left in charge, 
was doing when the pirates stole the boat. This he con- 
sidered was trouble by the side of which being obliged 
to remain on the island any number of days was absolute 
pleasure. 

Bobby knew that he ought to have resisted with force 
any attempt to take the boat, and he feared that Captain 
Sammy, in the absence of the real culprits, might wreak 
some signal vengeance on himself. 

He continued to run back and forth on the beach, implor- 
ing Tommy to return, but making no attempt to warn the 


45 


Raising the ‘'‘Pearls 

others of the evil that had been wrought, for Captain Sam- 
my’s coming was worse, he thought, than Tommy’s going. 

But Bobby was not left long in uncertainty as to what 
the little man might say or do, for while he was still intent 
on trying to persuade the runaways to return, he heard a 
most unwelcome and gruff voice from the thicket behind 
him. 

Halloo ! What’s in the wind now ? What are you 
kicking up such a row about?” 

For a moment the unhappy boy could make no answer, 
and while he thus hesitated the little captain came into 
view, where he stood looking in surprise at Bobby, not 
observing the theft of his boat. 

‘‘ What’s the matter with you ? What are you yelling 
so about ?” he asked, impatiently. 

“ They’ve gone ! they’ve gone !” cried Bobby, pointing 
to the boat, whose occupants were now making every ex- 
ertion to get away even from the sound of the one-legged 
man’s voice. Tommy had laid aside his dignity of cap- 
tain for the time being, and was tugging away at one of 
the oars as if he feared pursuit, even though he knew it 
was impossible. ' 

Captain Sammy gazed out over the water, shading his 
eyes with his hand, as if it was difficult for him to believe 
that he was not deceived, and then he looked down at the 


46 Raising the '■"‘Pearir 

place where his boat should have been, too much surprised 
even for words. - 

Dare and Charley had come up beside him, and they 
too were at a loss to understand it all. 

“It’s Tommy Tucker; he’s taken the boat,” cried Bob- 
by, growing more frightened at this unaccountable silence 
on the part of the captain. “ They’ve stolen her, an’ gone 
off to be pirates !” 

“ Come back here, you rascals ! come back here !” 
shouted Captain Sammy, as he realized all that had been 
done; and then, with a quick, angry movement, he un- 
fastened his wooden leg, and stood with it in his hand, 
as if deliberating whether or not he should throw it at 
them. “ Come back here, or I’ll break every bone in 
your bodies !” 

The boys in the boat made no reply, but bent all their 
energies at the oars, until Tommy, in his eagerness, dipped 
too deep, “caught a crab,” and fell over backward in the 
bottom of the boat, a confused mass of gorgeous piratical 
uniform and frightened boy. 

Dare and Charley ran down on the beach, as if they 
thought they might do some good by thus getting nearer 
the runaways ; while Captain Sammy, without stopping to 
think that he still held his leg in his hand, attempted to 
do the same thing. 


Raising the Pear ir 47 

Of course there could be but one ending to such a start ; 
and when the angry and forgetful little man attempted to 
step on the leg that was no longer in its accustomed place 
he very nearly turned a somersault, and came rolling down 
on the beach, very much to his own discomfiture, and 
frightening Bobby almost out of what few senses still re- 
mained to him. 

Captain Sammy choked and sneezed, because of the sand 
that had gone down his throat and up into his nose, while 
Dare and Charley had considerable trouble to keep from 
laughing at the comical appearance he presented. 

This accident did not lessen Captain Sammy’s anger, and 
when at last he succeeded in standing on his one foot he 
was in a fine state of rage. He began to realize that he 
could effect nothing by holding his wooden leg in his hand, 
while he might work himself farther injury if it was not 
placed where it belonged ; so he adjusted it at once. 

“ How did it happen ? how did they get her ?” he de- 
manded, furiously, as he turned to Bobby with a threaten- 
ing gesture. 

Although Bobby was not a brave boy he could never be 
accused of lying, even when the truth was as much against 
him as it was in this case, and, with considerable hesitation 
and evident shame, he related the events as they had oc- 
curred. 


48 


Raising the ''Pear IP 

“Why didn’t you stop them? Why didn’t you chew 
’em all up ?” demanded Captain Sammy, furiously. 

Bobby thought it was absurd in the captain to talk 
about his chewing two pirates up, and he replied, almost 
piteously, 

“I couldn’t; there were two of them, and they said 
they’d serve me out if I tried to stop them.” 

“ Serve you out !” sneered Captain Sammy. “ Why, they 
couldn’t have done anything if you’d only dared to go up 
an’ knock their heads together.” 

There was a difference of opinion between Bobby and 
the captain as to what Tommy and Ikey could have done ; 
but, as Bobby thought it would be useless to attempt to 
make the angry man view the matter in the same light he 
did, he remained silent. 

“How did they get over here?” asked the little man, 
after he had relieved his mind somewhat by shaking his 
fist savagely at the retreating pirates. 

Then Bobby told what Tommy had said about coming 
over in an old boat, and Captain Sammy started around 
the beach to find her, filled with the hope that she might 
serve as a means of pursuit. But one glance at the boat, 
after they had found her, was sufficient to show that noth- 
ing could be done with her. She was so old and ^worm- 
eaten that it was a wonder she had held together long 





“why didn’t you chew ’em all up?” 










Raising the '‘'‘Pearls 51 

enough to bring the boys over. The Wise Men of Gotham 
who went to sea in a bowl had a more staunch craft than 
she was. 

Captain Sammy surveyed her in silence for some time, 
and then said, emphatically, 

“ Well, this is a nice kettle of fish, an’ no mistake !” 

“How are we going to get home?” asked Dare, think- 
ing of the anxiety his mother would suffer if they were 
not with her by night. 

“That’s jest it! that’s jest it!” cried Captain Sammy, 
again giving way to his anger. “ Oh, how I wish I had 
hold of them precious villains for a little while ! They’d 
wish they really was pirates. I’ll tell you how we’re goin’ 
to get home. We’re goin’ to stay here till somebody comes 
along an’ takes us off ; an’ we may be here a week, for the 
matter of that, for nobody would understand any signals 
we could make from here. It’s worse than a regular ship- 
wreck.” 

For some time the party stood in silent despondency, the 
boys thinking of the fears which would beset Mr. and Mrs. 
Evans at their absence, and Captain Sammy wondering if 
sleeping in the open air would not be sure to bring on an 
attack of his old enemy the rheumatism. 

“ It won’t do any good to set here,” said the little man 
at length, speaking in a more cheerful tone. “We’re here 


52 


Raising the ''Pearl” 

for a while, anyhow, an’ we might as well make the best 
of it. How are we off for provisions ?” 

There was no need for any one to reply to the question, 
for the moment it was asked each one knew that the only 
things they had taken out of the boat on their arrival were 
the axes, and the pirates had not only captured a boat, but 
they had gotten one that was provisioned for several hours 
at least. 

“Well, we shall have to suck our thumbs for a while, 
at any rate,” said the little captain, as if he had resolved 
to bear his troubles as philosophically as possible. “We 
will build up a fire, in the hope that some one in Tampa 
may see the smoke an’ come over here to find out the 
meaning of it. And, since you boys came here for timber 
for your rafts, the best thing you can do is to go to work 
felling it. The work will keep you contented, and you 
won’t be wasting your time.” 

Bobby, who should have done something toward pre- 
venting the misfortune that had come upon them, was 
charged with the work of building the fire -signal and 
keeping it going, while Dare and Charley started about 
what was really the preliminary work of raising the Pearl. 

It was then hardly more than ten o’clock, and they had 
quite a long day before them in which to work, even if 
they were prisoners on an uninhabited island. 


53 


Raising the ''Pearl!' 

All hands went to work with a will, and while Dare and 
Charley were blistering their hands in their efforts to hew 
down the largest trees, Captain Sammy busied himself 
with gathering the tiny oysters that were fastened to the 
rocks just below the surface of the water. 

These little shell-fish were very acceptable to the boys, 
who had grown hungry the moment they knew their food 
had been carried away, and, thanks to the lunch the little 
man brought them, they were able to keep at their work 
all the more closely. 

Captain Sammy had a small canteen of water with him 
when he left the boat, and the contents of this he doled 
out very sparingly, but in such quantities that they were 
not actually suffering with thirst. 

By six o’clock the boys had felled and trimmed of their 
branches ten trees — a sufficient number, in Captain Sam- 
my’s opinion, to form the heavier portion of the rafts they 
wanted to build — and then it was time to make some ar- 
rangements for a place to sleep that night, since it was 
hardly probable any one would come to their rescue be- 
fore the next day. 

Bobby had kept the signal -fire burning all day, and 
after some consultation it was decided that they should 
use the level piece of ground just back of it as their camp- 
ing-place. 


54 


Raising the ''Pearli' 

The little captain had had no voice in the selection of 
the camp, for after he had given the boys all the oysters 
they wanted for dinner he seemed to have forgotten his 
philosophical ideas, and had relapsed into a moody silence. 

It was after Dare and Charley had decided upon the 
camping -ground that they went to the point of reef on 
which Captain Sammy was sitting, enveloped in a cloud 
of tobacco-smoke. 

“We think we had better camp for the night near the 
fire,' sir,” said Dare, “and if you have no objections we 
will put up some kind of a shelter.” 

“ It don’t make much difference where we lay, my lad,” 
said the little man, without looking up. “ I’ll be sure to 
have the rheumatiz anyhow, an’ it’s no odds to me whether 
it comes when I’m layin’ on the ground or settin’ here by 
the water. But I’ll show that Tucker boy what a pirate 
is when I get hold of him.” 


Raising the Pearl! 


55 


Chapter V. 



SEA-URCHINS. 

HE labor of putting up a shelter for the night 
was not hard, since all that was necessary to do 
was to pile up against two trees the branches they 
had hewn oft' in finishing their timber. 

After this was done the question of supper presented 
itself; and since Captain Sammy showed no disposition 
to do anything about gathering more oysters, the boys 
started out to do it for themselves. 

Bobby had an idea that in order to gather oysters suc- 
cessfully he should wade into the water after them, instead 
of reaching down from the top of the rocks, as he had seen 
Captain Sammy do, and his shoes and stockings were off 
in a twinkling, while his trousers were rolled up as far as 
possible. 

His example was closely followed by Charley; but Dare, 
who was doubtful as to whether such a proceeding was wise 
or not, concluded that it was safest to try first for their 
supper as the little captain had done. 


56 Raising the Pear ir 

Both Charley and Bobby plunged into the water when 
they came to the line of reef from which they expected to 
find the food, while Dare crept along the top of the rocks. 

Bobby had taken but a few steps in the desired direc- 
tion, and was congratulating himself upon having been 
more wise than Dare, when suddenly he gave vent to a 
scream that was almost blood-curdling, while his face ex- 
hibited signs of the most intense fear. 

What is it % What is the matter T cried Dare, as he 
jumped into the water, regardless of the fact that he was 
not prepared for such immersion, and ran toward the ap- 
parently suffering boy. 

Bobby paid no attention to his questions, but continued 
to scream, while he held up first one foot and then the 
other, thus showing that they were in some way connected 
with his pain or terror. 

“ It’s a shark ! It must be a shark !” cried Charley, now 
stepping around in the greatest excitement, but attempting 
neither to aid Bobby or to gain the shore. 

At the suggestion that it was a shark Bobby redoubled 
his efforts at screaming with such success that the din was 
almost deafening. 

Dare tried in vain to quiet Bobby sufficiently to learn 
what the matter was ; but finding that an almost impossible 
task while Charley was doing so much to add to the excite- 


Raising the '' Pear ir 57 

ment, he said to his screaming brother, in tones that were 
not exactly mild, 

“ l^ow see here, Charley : you are not hurt, and I want 
you to stop your noise. See if you can hold your tongue 
long enough to help me get Bob ashore.’’ 

It seemed as if Charley had just realized that he was not 
injured in any way, for he ceased his screams almost as 
soon as Dare spoke, and, like the sensible boy he usually 
was, at once commenced to do what he could in aid of his 
cousin. 

When the two boys waded up to where Bobby was stand- 
ing he had for the moment stopped screaming, and was 
about to tell what had caused the outcry. But he was in- 
terrupted by Charley, who now also commenced to scream 
loudly, this time from pain rather than fear, and going 
through the same peculiar motions with his feet that Bobby 
had been indulging in. 

Dare stood for several seconds as if he was paralyzed by 
the noise, and he was as thoroughly mystified and surprised 
a boy as ever visited the Florida coast. 

‘‘What is the matter?” he cried, forgetting that he was 
in the water above his knees, and trying to stamp his foot 
in order to command attention. “ Tell me what the mat- 
ter is, or I shall think you are both crazy.” 

Charley paid no attention to the question. He managed 


58 Raising the '' Pear ir 

to stagger to the projecting reef, across wliich he leaned, 
kicking his heels high up in the air, as if only in that posi- 
tion could he find relief. 

That Charley was in the same predicament he was 
helped to restore Bobby to one or two of the five senses he 
appeared to have been frightened out of, and he started, 
in a very painful way, for the shore, saying, as he tiid so, 

“We’ve been bitten by something. It must have been 
a scorpion, I am sure, and just as likely as not we are 
poisoned.” 

“Don’t be so foolish,” cried Dare, impatiently. “ You’re 
old enough to know that scorpions don’t live in the water;” 
and then he added, for he was really afraid they might 
have been bitten by some poisonous reptile, although he 
did not want them to know of his fears, “Even if a scor- 
pion had bitten you it wouldn’t kill you.” 

By this time Bobby had gotten high up on the beach, 
and was examining the sole of one of his feet, which was 
bleeding considerably. 

“Tell me how it felt,” asked Dare, nervous and anxious to 
learn as nearly as possible just what had caused the trouble, 
for the sight of Bobby’s bleeding foot added to his fears. 

“All I know about it,” sobbed Bob, as he wiped away 
the blood and sand with the sleeve of his shirt — for his 
handkerchief was in his coat - pocket, tucked snugly away 


59 


Raising the ''Pearli' 

in one corner of the camp— “ is that when I went to step, 
after I got out where the water was over my knees, I felt 
something sting me.” 

“What’s the matter now? Who’s killed? Have more 
pirates come ?” 

It was Captain Sammy who asked the question. The 
outcry had broken in upon his smoky reverie, and he had 
hobbled along the beach at such a rapid pace that his usu- 
ally red face was now almost crimson, while the perspira- 
tion was running down his neck in small streams. 

“Bobby and Charley waded in to get some oysters, and 
something stung them,” explained Dare, feeling relieved 
that Captain Sammy was there to take some of the re- 
sponsibility from him. 

“ Stung, eh ?” said the little man, as he carefully adjusted 
his spectacles and examined Bobby’s foot with the air of 
a physician. 

What he saw did not appear to frighten him very much, 
for he took out his knife very deliberately, and, after some 
little cutting of the flesh, which caused Bobby to scream 
again, he drew out of the foot a long, dark-greenish splin- 
ter, which he held up laughingly. 

“They’ve stepped on some sea-urchins, that’s all; and 
the next time they wade around this coast they had better 
keep their shoes on.” 


6o 


Raising the Pearls 

Great was the relief of all three of the boys at knowing 
that the matter was no worse; but the faces of the two 
sufferers clouded again very quickly as Captain Sammy 
went to work with his knife, and they knew each of the 
spines of the sea-urchins must be dug out. 

Owing to the fact that his eyesight was not very keen 
Captain Sammy was not remarkably quick about his work, 
and more than once had Bobby cried aloud and pulled his 
foot back from the detaining grasp, but all without trou- 
bling the little sailor in the least. 

He continued at his work until he had extracted thirteen 
of the needle-like spines from the feet of the two boys ; and 
then, after advising them to bandage the injured members 
with their handkerchiefs, rather than try to put on their 
shoes, he hobbled back to his perch on the rocks, to resume 
his pipe and vengeful dreams of Tommy Tucker. 

There were no farther thoughts of oysters after the sur- 
gical operations were ended, and, in fact, it seemed as if 
the fright and pain had quieted their hunger so far that 
they no longer thought of it. 

With Dare’s assistance Charley and Bobby limped back 
to the rude brush camp, and there they lay, with feet 
smarting with pain, thinking over the same subject that 
was occupying Captain Sammy’s attention — the pirates 
and their work. 


they’ve stepped on some sea-urchins, that’s all. 



I 








/ 


Raising the Pear ir 63 

Dare, from whose clothing the water was trickling in 
little streams, had commenced to undress, for the pur- 
pose of hanging his clothes before the fire, when Captain 
Sammy shouted from his rocky perch. 

Here ! what are you goin’ to do now 
Going to dry my clothes,” replied Dare, still continu- 
ing his work. 

“Stop it!” roared the little man, energetically, as he 
hobbled toward the camp. “ It would be worse than wad- 
ing into the water barefoot to undress here.” 

“Why?” asked Dare, in surprise. “My clothes are 
soaked with water, and I don’t see any reason why I 
shouldn’t dry them.” 

“You’d see and feel mor’n ten thousand reasons why 
you shouldn’t as soon as you were undressed. Haven’t 
you been complaining of the mosquitoes all day? They 
are active little fellows down here in Florida, especially 
just at nightfall, and I had rather step on two sea-urchins 
than to give them a chance at my naked body.” 

There was no need for the captain to say any more; 
Dare realized at once the trouble he would have been in 
had he done as he proposed, and he contented himself with 
wringing the water from his coat and vest, and squeezing 
it from his trousers-legs as best he could, sitting as near 
as possible to the fire, in order to dry them. 


64 Raising the '‘'Pearls 

When the sun set, and the shadows began to lengthen, 
the wind came up from the sea, causing the fire to roar 
and crackle in a cheerful way that had a soothing effect 
upon the one-legged man. 

The warmth was grateful to all ; and the smoke, which 
was now driven closer to the ground, served to keep the 
mosquitoes away to a certain extent ; and in case anything 
should have been learned of their misfortunes, by those on 
shore, the flames would serve as a beacon. 

“ I^ow make yourselves just as comfortable as you can,” 
said Captain Sammy, as he seated himself so near the 
blaze that he ran great danger of setting his wooden leg 
on fire, in order that he might ward off the expected at- 
tack of rheumatism. “ It ain’t any kind of use to grumble 
at what you can’t help, an’ you might as well have a good 
time as to sit mopin’ ’round.” 

This was good advice; but it sounded rather strange, 
coming as it did from the one who had been doing all the 
grumbling, while the boys had really made the best of the 
adventure. 

From the first moment Dare had seen the little captain, 
with his wooden leg, he was sure that he had a perfect 
fund of stories from which he might draw without fear 
of exhausting it, and he thought the time might be pleas- 
antly occupied in listening to them. 


Raising the Pear ir 65 

“ Can’t you tell us some stories, sir ?” lie asked, both 
fearing and hoping that the request would call forth one 
of those fits of scolding for which Captain Sammy was 
famous, and out of which the desired stories would finally 
come. 

‘‘Stories!” growled the little man. “Do you s’pose I 
went to sea jest for the sake of gettin’ a lot of stories to 
tell to boys who have got me in such a scrape as you 
have V’ 

“No, sir,” replied Dare, thinking the latter portion of 
the captain’s speech had especial reference to Bobby. 
“But you would have had the adventures, whatever you 
might have gone to sea for; and now that we are here, 
and where we can’t get away, we would like very much to 
hear of them.” 

It seemed as if Captain Sammy was about to accede to 
the request, for he reseated himself in a more comfortable 
position, and gazed out over the water, as if he expected 
from there would come memories which would aid him 
in the task. 

Dare, who was watching him closely, saw his face sud- 
denly light up, and felt certain that thoughts of some 
pleasant episode in his life had come to the little man. 
But just when he expected to hear him commence a story 
Captain Sammy jumped to his feet, and cried, joyfully, 

5 


66 


Raising the Pearls 

“ Here’s a boat now ! Those little rascals must have told 
where we were, and some one has come for us !” 

Then he stood gazing out over the water with as much 
anxiety as if he were a shipwrecked sailor who had been 
waiting months in the hitherto vain hope of seeing a 
friendly sail. 


Raising the Pearli 


67 


Chapter VI. 



THE WRECK. 

HE boys were obliged to look several moments 
in the direction Captain Sammy pointed before 
they could distinguish anything that had the slight- 
est semblance to a boat, and then they saw indis- 
tinctly, in the fast-gathering darkness, a small, white cloud 
on the water that grew to look more and more like a sail. 

Captain Sammy seemed almost beside himself with joy, 
for in this approaching craft he saw the means of escaping 
from the necessity of giving an invitation to his old enemy 
the rheumatism, which invitation he felt he should surely 
give if he slept in the open air all night. 

But the boys looked at this boat, which was coming along 
so merrily under the influence of the strong sea-breeze, 
with far different thoughts. They had counted on this en- 
forced camping-out as an adventure which could be told 
their friends at home as having some tinge of danger in it ; 
but to be rescued before nine o’clock in the evening made 
of it an exceedingly tame affair. 


68 


Raising the Pearls 

On came the little boat, thus viewed with such opposite 
feelings by age and youth, until she could be quite clearly 
distinguished, although the white sail hid those on board 
from the view of those on the island. 

They could almost hear the water ripple around her bow, 
and Captain Sammy could restrain himself no longer. 

“ Boat ahoy !” he shouted, using both hands for a speak- 
ing-trumpet, and making such exertions that he might have 
been heard half a mile away. 

There was no answering hail from those on board the 
little craft ; and while Captain Sammy was wondering why 
no reply came the boat luffed up into the wind, presenting 
to the watchers only the bellying sail and the bow. 

“ Why — why,” stammered Captain Sammy, in surprise — 
“ why, that’s my boat !” 

The boys thought this rather a rash assertion for the lit- 
tle man to make, since it was impossible to distinguish her 
with sufficient clearness to be positive as to the fact ; but 
the captain continued : 

‘‘ That’s my boat sure, for there’s the very patch I put 
on her sail last Wednesday.” 

In trying to make out this distinguishing mark the 
boys now saw what they had not noticed before. At 
the mast-head floated a black substance, which Bobby was 
sure he recognized as the piratical flag Tommy Tucker 


Raising the '‘^Pearir 69 

had displayed on the oar shortly after he had captured the 
craft. 

It was all very strange, for it did not seem possible that 
Master Tucker would come to the island, so great had been 
his fear of Captain Sammy. Besides, now that it was even- 
ing his ‘‘crew” must be on shore, transformed into a peace- 
ful boy again. 

But as the boat went slowly ahead, and then came up 
into the wind, there could be no mistake made. Master 
Tucker was there, and alone, in all the glory of his gor- 
geous uniform, while his flag floated proudly, even if indis- 
tinctly, over him. He surely had come back, although for 
what purpose it was impossible even to conjecture. 

At the sight of this boy, whom he had resolutely put out 
of his mind, in order that he might be more reconciled to 
his fate, all of Captain Sammy’s anger was aroused again, 
and intensified because of the revival. 

“You villain !” he cried, “come in here this minute and 
let me get my hands on you once.” 

It is hardly possible that Captain Sammy thought 
Tommy would obey the command in view of the implied 
threat, and yet he waited patiently, as if he expected such 
would be the case. 

“ I’m cornin’ over here in the mornin’ to serve you out,” 
cried Tommy, defiantly, to the angry man ; “ but I’ve come 


70 


Raising the '‘'‘Pearls 

now to tell them boys that Ikey went up to the hotel an’ 
told that they wouldn’t be home to-night.” 

“ Does my mother know where we are asked Dare. 

“No; he jest told her that you was off with that old 
heathen, an’ wouldn’t be home to-night.” 

“Did he tell her why we couldn’t come back?” And 
Dare grew anxious now. 

“Of course he didn’t. What kind of a feller do you 
think I am ? If he’d told her that she’d sent over here to- 
night, an’ I hain’t goin’ to let Cap’en Sammy get away till 
I’ve fixed him out, so’s he’ll be sorry he ever took his leg 
to me.” 

“I’ll beat it up about your miserable body,” roared 
Captain Sammy, as he started to take off his leg again ; 
but remembering his former mishap, he shook his fist 
instead. 

“ Will you come in here and take us off ?” he shouted. 

“No, I won’t,” was the pirate’s defiant reply. “If them 
fellers want to go home I’ll carry ’em over, provided they’ll 
tie you hand an’ foot, an’ let me pound you as much as I 
want to first.” 

Under other circumstances it would have been impossi- 
ble for the boys to have restrained their laughter at the 
very comical appearance of Captain Sammy ; but now it 
seemed all too serious for mirth. He ran along on the 


Raising the "‘Pearl!' 71 

beach, first this way and then that, shaking his fists at the 
small boy in the boat, and acting in every way as if his 
anger had deprived him of his senses. 

“Will you do what I want you to?” asked Tommy, 
evidently referring to the capture of the captain. 

“We can’t do that,” replied Dare; “but we’ll do almost 
anything else you want us to, if you will take us home.” 

“I’ll never take you away if you don’t tie the old 
heathen,” and, from his very decided tone, it was easy to 
understand that Master Tucker had paid them this evening 
visit in the sole hope of inducing them to help him to his 
revenge. 

While they had been talking the wind had been increas- 
ing in force, and already the waves had begun to put on 
their white caps, as if preparing for a regular lark. The 
little craft, laying head to the wind, tossed about like 
an egg-shell, and Captain Sammy saw that she was being 
forced slowly but surely toward the beach. 

If Tommy could only be induced to remain there long 
enough he might be aground before he was aware of the 
fact. 

“ Keep talking to him,” whispered the captain to Dare, 
“an’ we may get our hands on him after all.” 

But it was almost as if Tommy had heard what his ene- 
my had said, for hardly had the words been uttered when 


72 Raising the ''Pearir 

he discovered his peril, and began making preparations to 
avoid it. 

He got an oar out and began pulling the boat around so 
that the sail would fill again. Had he been a better sailor 
he would not have pulled so long before he attended to 
the sheet and helm, and this same inexperience brought 
the pirate’s voyage to a more speedy ending than he had 
anticipated. 

He worked at the oar until the wind completely filled 
the sail, forcing the little craft around suddenly, and bear- 
ing her directly on to the sharp reef of coral that showed 
itself just above the water, not more than fifty feet from 
the main line of the shore, and a little to the right of 
where the party on the island were standing. 

The force of the wind, which was now increasing each 
moment, sent the boat on toward the sharp coral points, 
which could pierce her timbers so easily, with a speed that 
seemed to paralyze Tommy. He made no attempt to di- 
vert his craft from the dangerous position in which he 
had placed her, but clung to the rail, crying for help in the 
most unpiratical manner. 

‘‘Let go your sheets, and put your helm hard down!” 
shouted Captain Sammy, forgetting, in his eagerness to 
save the boat, that he was giving advice which, if followed, 
would enable the marauder to escape. 


Raising the '^^Pearir 73 

But Master Tucker, in his agitation, was incapable of 
deciding what ought to be done, or even of understand- 
ing what was said to him. 

He remained by the rail, looking at the reef toward 
which he was being borne, while his craft was at the mercy 
of both wind and waves, which were dashing her onward 
to destruction. 

With only one thought, and that of trying to save Mas- 
ter Tucker when the final crash came and he was hurled 
into the water, the three boys, regardless of the wounds 
caused by the sea-urchins, ran down the beach. Captain 
Sammy, still shouting his orders to the terrified pirate, 
followed their example, and all stopped opposite the point 
toward which the boat was heading. 

It was but a few moments before Tommy Tucker’s 
career as a pirate was ended. 

The boat, lifted high on a wave larger than the preced- 
ing ones, hung for a single instant over the reef below, 
and then was dashed upon it with a force that shattered 
every timber, and, fortunately for him, hurled the pirate 
captain entirely over it almost upon the beach. 

Master Tucker was not at all injured by the fall ; but he 
was terribly frightened at being thus literally thrown at 
the feet of the man whom he expected would murder him 
at the very least. 


74 


Raising the '''‘Pearir 

Before the boys could reach him — and they started to 
his aid at once, fearing lest he was injured by the fall — 
the disheartened pirate, who had lost both weapons and his 
gorgeous cap, sprang to his feet and made all speed toward 
the interior of the island. 

His short voyage, during which he had destroyed noth- 
ing more than Captain Sammy’s boat and temper, was 
ended ; his craft was a complete wreck upon the little reef, 
and the pirate himself a prisoner upon the same island to 
which he had doomed the others. 

It was a quick ending to Master Tucker’s dream of 
wickedness, and one that seemed all the more cruel to him 
since he had never dreamed that pirates were in the habit 
of being wrecked. 

When his boat first struck the reef Captain Sammy 
dashed into the water as if he was going to her rescue, 
regardless of the rheumatism; but before he had gotten 
in above his knees he turned around and came back. 

He knew from the sound when she struck the reef that 
she had been injured beyond all hope of mending, and that 
it would be a more than foolish task to attempt to wade 
out to where she was being torn in pieces by the waves. 

“ Look out for the oars and sail,” he shouted to the boys, 
while he waited for the small water-cask — which he always 
carried, no matter how short a voyage he was making — in 


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Raising the ''Pearls 77 

the hope that it would be washed ashore, affording them 
an opportunity of replenishing their stock of water. 

It was hardly ten minutes, so furious had the waves be- 
come, and so strong did the wind blow directly toward the 
land, before the boys had secured three of the oars, and, 
soon after, the sail came ashore directly in front of the 
captain. 

He ordered the boys to drag the canvas up to the camp, 
and they wondered why he remained there so -anxiously, 
when there was no longer a hope that any portion of the 
boat, save small fragments, could be washed ashore. 

But Captain Sammy’s watching was at length rewarded, 
and when he saw the water-cask floating heavily on the 
waves he rushed into the water for the second time, and 
brought it ashore triumpantly. 

“It come just in time,” he said, gleefully, “for there 
hain’t over an’ above half a pint of water in my canteen, 
an’ you boys would have wanted a drink pretty soon.” 

In fact, they began to grow thirsty just as soon as they 
realized how near they had come to being without any 
water, and it was not until they had each drank twice from 
the cask that they felt satisfled, even though they had not 
thought of it before. 

Captain Sammy spread the wet sail out in front of the 
Are to dry, and as he sat gazing at it and smoking he felt 


78 Raising the ^'■Pearir 

very much relieved in mind, for now they would at least 
have a covering over their heads. 

It was quite natural the boys should wonder as to what 
had become of Tommy Tucker, and Dare proposed that 
they should go in search of him. But Captain Sammy put 
an end to any such philanthropic plan by saying, 

‘‘ Let him alone, an’ in the morning I’ll go after him my- 
self, an’ then — ” 

The captain did not finish the sentence, but his face was 
very expressive as to what Master Tommy’s fate would be 
when he should have him in his power. 

Dare trembled for the misguided pirate until he realized 
that it would be one thing for Captain Sammy to go after 
the fugitive, and quite another matter to catch him, owing 
to the disparity in legs. But he thought it was cruel to 
leave Tommy alone on the island all night, even though he 
had done them so much harm. 

‘‘Don’t you think we had better try and find him, so 
that he can sleep with us to-night?” Dare asked. “It 
won’t do any harm, and you can punish him in the morn- 
ing.” 

“ He wouldn’t have a chance to sleep very much if he 
should dare to show his nose around here to-night,” said 
Captain Sammy, in such a vindictive tone that Dare con- 
cluded that perhaps it would be less painful for Tommy to 


Raising the ^’‘Pearl^ 79 

sleep alone, and anywhere he could find a place, rather than 
with them. 

The boat-sail was far from being dry when the little man 
took it from the fire and spread it over the boughs of the 
trees as a shelter-tent. But the hour was late, and the cap- 
tain anxious that the party under his charge should get to 
sleep as soon as possible. 

But even after the boys were stretched out on the hard 
sand, and Captain Sammy had laid himself down between 
them and the fire, as if to keep them from rolling out of 
bed, sleep did not appear inclined to pay them a visit. 

They listened anxiously to each sound, and at every rus- 
tling of the leaves they fancied they heard Tommy, coming 
to ask that he might be allowed to share their camp with 
them. 

Then, when the time wore on, and each occupant of the 
tent, save Dare, had yielded to slumber, the boy began to 
grow very nervous and unhappy, because of the possible 
fate of the pirate. He feared lest all kinds of accidents 
might befall him, until his imagination had conjured up so 
much suffering for Tommy that he attempted to crawl cau- 
tiously out over Captain Sammy to go in search of him. 

But it seemed as if the little man slept with one eye 
open, for no sooner did Dare make the first movement 
toward getting out than the captain said, much as if he had 


8o 


Raising the ^Rearir 

not been asleep at all, but had been lying awake reading 
the boy’s thoughts, 

“You may put some more wood on the fire; but don’t 
you try to find that Tucker boy, because I shall make it 
very uncomfortable for him if he comes around here to- 
night.” 

So all that Dare’s kindly impulse resulted in was the re- 
plenishing of the fire, and then he crawled in behind Cap- 
tain Sammy again, wishing he could know that Tommy 
was at least safe from bodily harm. 


Raising the ''Pearli 


8i 


Chapter VII. 



RESCUED. 

?HE]^ the boys awoke on the following morning 
the sun had risen, and Captain Sammy had fol- 
lowed his example. lie (meaning Captain Sammy, 
not the sun) had kindled the fire anew; but in- 
stead of allowing it to blaze, he was doing all he could to 
deaden it, by flinging green boughs wet in sea-water upon 
the flames. 

The boys watched him for some time in silence, wonder- 
ing what he was trying to do, until Charley asked him the 
reason for his apparently contradictory work. 

‘‘Well, you see,” and Captain Sammy assumed the tone 
he always used when imparting any information, “ I kinder 
reckon that when the Jones boy finds that his partner don’t 
turn up this morning, he’ll tell the folks jest where we are. 
The chances are that no one will believe him, so I want to 
keep this smoke goin’, for they can see that when they 
couldn’t see the blaze.” 

After he had thus explained the reason for his work he 
6 


82 


Raising the "Rearir 

made them pay for their curiosity by assigning to Charley 
and Bobby the duty of keeping sufficient fire going to raise 
a smoke, while he seated himself on the point of the ledge, 
to watch for the coming of the rescuing party. 

The only toilet which the boys could make that morning 
was to wash their hands and faces in the salt-water, and dry 
them on their handkerchiefs — a most unsatisfactory proceed- 
ing, which caused them to understand, as they never had 
before, how thoroughly fresh-water, soap, and towel can re- 
fresh one. 

By the division of labor according to Captain Sammy’s 
orders. Dare had nothing to do. At first he secured more 
firmly the logs which they had cut and rolled into the 
water the day before, that there might be no chance of 
their getting adrift, and in order that they might be all 
ready for towing to the main-land. Then he helped the 
other boys in their task; but finding that there was no 
more work than two could do easily, he conceived the idea 
of making an effort to find Tommy Tucker, in order that 
he might go to Tampa on the same boat that carried the 
others. 

Without Captain Sammy’s knowledge he told Charley 
and Bobby what he was about to do, and asked them to call 
him in case any boat came to their rescue. 

Then he started, keeping so near the water on his left 


Raising the '‘Rearir 83 

that he could make no mistake when he wanted to retrace 
his steps. 

It was not until he was some distance from the others 
that he dared to call Tommy’s name, for he was afraid that 
if Captain Sammy should hear him he would try to pre- 
vent him from doing good to the pirate in return for evil. 

When he did call out it was in a low tone, and he peered 
cautiously around each root or trunk of tree that was large 
enough to conceal the boy he was in search of. 

In this manner he had walked so far that he was begin- 
ning to think he ought to return to the camp, when he 
heard a rustling of the foliage, and then came a hoarse, 
frightened whisper: 

‘^Where’s Cap’en Sammy?” 

Dare knew, of course, that this question had been asked 
by the boy he was in search of, and, in order that Tommy 
might not think he was trying to catch him, he stood per- 
fectly quiet, as he replied, 

He’s back there on the beach, watching for a boat.” 

There was a moment of silence, as if the boy was mak- 
ing up his mind whether there would be any danger in 
showing himself, and then Master Tucker stepped out into 
view. 

He was certainly the most discoUraged-looking pirate that 
ever was seen in that part of the country. The sash was 


84 Raising the 'Rearir 

still around his waist, and the epaulettes on his shoulders, 
but, owing to his unceremonious plunge in the water and 
the night he had spent among the trees, all the glorj of 
coloring was covered with mud and dirt. His face was at 
least twice as dirty as usual, while each individual hair on 
his head seemed to stand out in a different direction, giv- 
ing him a very comical appearance, especially about the 
head. 

He was far from being the same bold pirate chieftain he 
had been the day before, and that he had had quite as 
much of piracy as he wanted was shown by the tone of his 
voice, as he asked, 

“ What did Cap’en Sammy say about his boat 

“ He was very angry, and I don’t think he would have 
let me come here to find you if he had known what I was 
going to do.” 

“ What is he goin’ to do to me ?” asked Tommy, and his 
knees actually trembled beneath him as he thought of the 
punishment he might receive. 

‘‘I don’t exactly know,” replied Dare, not wanting to 
tell the boy all the threats made against him by the angry 
captain, “ but I suppose he will whip you.” 

“ He’ll half kill me,” replied Master Tucker, dolefully 
but emphatically. 

“I suppose he will be rather hard on you,” said Dare, 


Raising the Pearl!' 85 

inclined to be sympathetic, but feeling at the same time 
that Tommy deserved some severe punishment for what he 
had done. “ But I tell you what you had better do : come 
right out with me, and have it over before any one comes 
from Tampa to take us off.” 

‘‘ I wouldn’t go out there where he is not for — not for a 
dollar!” exclaimed Tommy, frightened at the simple idea 
of such a thing. 

“But how are you going to get away from here, and 
what will you get to eat while you do stay ?” 

“I diinno, an’ I don’t care; I ain’t goin’ out there where 
he is.” 

Dare noticed that the pirate was so broken in spirit that 
he no longer called Captain Sammy an “old heathen,” 
which was good proof that he was not so proud and trium- 
phant as he had been ten hours before. 

“ I s’pose I shall get home some time,” said Tommy, sul- 
lenly; “but he won’t have a chance to get hold of me, I 
can tell him that, for I can run twice as fast as he can any 
day.” 

Dare used all the arguments he could think of to per- 
suade Tommy to go with him and try to gain Captain 
Sammy’s pardon ; but his words had no effect. 

Master Tucker declared that he had rather stay there 
and starve than to go out and meet the man whom he had 


86 


Raising the '‘^Pearir 

every reason to believe would punish him severely; and 
he flatly refused every proposition Dare made, replying to 
each, 

“I s’pose ni get home somehow; but he won’t never 
catch me.” 

While Dare was urging him to do as he desired he 
heard Charley calling loudly, and he knew that some one 
was coming after them. 

“ All right ; I’ll be there,” he replied ; and then, turning 
to Tommy again, he said, “I suppose a boat is in sight, 
and I must go. IS^ow, Tommy, if you won’t come with us, 
what do you want me to do for you when I get back ?” 

“ Nothin’,” replied Tommy, sullenly, and then he disap- 
peared quickly in the bushes, as if he was afraid that Cap- 
tain Sammy, guided by Dare’s voice, would come to catch 
him. 

Dare’s attempt to do good to the boy had resulted in 
nothing ; but he was glad that he had made the trial. He 
walked back to the beach feeling that he ought to have 
done more, yet not knowing what else he could have done, 
so great was Tommy’s fear of the little captain. 

When Dare reached the beach his father and two men 
were just landing from a boat, and Captain Sammy was 
explaining to them his misfortunes, with many and terrible 
threats against the boy who had done the mischief, which 


THE ARRIVAL OF THE RESCUING PARTY 











Raising the ^'Pearir 89 

made Dare think that perhaps it was best for Tommy to 
remain out of sight for a time. 

Captain Sammy looked at him sharply as he came up, 
much as if he mistrusted the errand he had been on, but, 
greatly to Dare'’s relief, he did not ask any questions. 

Mr. Evans explained that neither he nor his wife had 
felt any anxiety concerning the boys. 

Ikey Jones had delivered his message, as Tommy had 
instructed him, but he had run home before any questions 
could be asked, evidently fearing he would get into trouble 
because of his share in the theft of the boat. 

Mr. Evans, troubled by the scanty information almost as 
much as he would have been at no word at all, started at 
once for Ikey’s home, and there, owing to the ex-pirate’s 
wholesome dread of his mother’s slipper, the whole story 
had been told. 

It was then too late to think of sending for the prisoners 
that night, and, knowing that they would be perfectly safe 
with the little captain, as leader of the expedition, no fears 
were entertained regarding them. 

Dare told his father of his interview with Tommy, and 
begged that he would intercede with Captain Sammy for 
his permission to allow the pirate to go with them. But 
Mr. Evans refused to interfere in the matter. Tommy de- 
served punishment, and he thought the man who had been 


90 Raising the P ear W 

injured by the boy should be allowed to do as he chose 
regarding him. 

The logs that had been cut on the previous day were all 
ready for towing, and the captain insisted that the men 
who had been employed by Mr. Evans should pull them 
to the main-land, in order that their trip to Dollar Island 
might not be wholly a failure. 

Therefore, greatly to the delight of the boys, they were 
fastened to the stern of the boat. The oars, sail, and water- 
cask, which were all that remained of the little captain’s 
jaunty craft, were put on board, and all the prisoners of 
Dollar Island, save the one who was still hiding in the 
thicket, were sailing toward Tampa. 

Tommy had said that he should make Dollar Island his 
piratical head-quarters, and he now held undisputed pos- 
session of it. 


Raising the ^^Pearli 


91 


Chapter VIIT. 



WORKING ON THE RAFTS. 

to the heavy logs which were towed by 
the sail-boat in which Mr. Evans had come to the 
^ rescue, the trip from Dollar Island to Tampa was 
a long one, and during it the boys were benefited 
by listening to a discussion regarding the work which they 
had undertaken. 

Mr. Evans had asked Captain Sammy some questions 
relative to the Pea/rl^ and the little man was in exactly the 
right mood for conversation, so that the boys were able 
to gather very much useful information. 

Then the question of how much work was involved in 
raising the sunken boat by the means of the rafts came up, 
and the captain inclined to the belief that the three boys 
could do it unaided in four or five days. He also vol- 
unteered the information that they could hire planks 
enough to make a double covering for the framework 
of logs, and by this means their work would be very much 
lessened. 


92 Raising the ''Pearl!' 

Mr. Evans told Dare that he could order the necessary 
lumber hauled to the place where they would need it, and 
have the bill sent to him. He also bargained with Captain 
Sammy for the purchase of a small boat he owned, which 
the boys would need in building the rafts, and which would 
afterward be useful as a tender to the Pearly in case she 
was successfully floated. 

Therefore the boys were ready for work as soon as they 
should reach the shore, and it seemed to them as if Tom- 
my’s attempt to injure Captain Sammy had resulted very 
much in their favor. 

In order not to spend the time necessary to go to the 
hotel for breakfast. Dare asked that he and Bobby should 
be allowed to go directly to Captain Sammy’s dock, where 
they could get both the boat and the chain - cables, while 
Charley went to the hotel for sufficient food to serve them 
as breakfast and dinner. 

This Mr. Evans consented to, while Captain Sammy for- 
warded matters very much by saying that he would attend 
to ordering the lumber and nails, and then the sail-boat 
was headed for the sunken Pearl. 

Upon arriving there the logs were left anchored near 
the beach, and, since it was then ebb-tide, they would be 
aground ready for the boys to begin work on them by the 
time they should return. 


93 


Raising the ^Rearir 

Here also Mr. Evans and Charley were landed, as they ^ 
were then nearer the hotel than they would be at the little 
captain’s dock, and then the sail-boat started again. 

At the dock the tender was brought out of the boat- 
house, in which she had been placed to protect her from 
the rays of the sun, and the boys were surprised to find 
that she was as neat and serviceable a little craft as they 
could have wished for. From the way in which she had 
been spoken of they expected to find an ordinary boat, 
rather the worse for wear, instead of one that hardly bore 
marks of usage. 

The building in which Captain Sammy stored what he 
called “odds and ends” looked more like a regular shop 
than an ordinary storehouse, for in it could have been 
found almost everything necessary to fit out a vessel for a 
long cruise. 

After the chain -cables, which were to be passed under 
the Pearl and fastened to the rafts, had been laid aside 
for transportation. Captain Sammy selected a number of 
smaller chains, which, he explained, could be used to fasten 
the ends of the logs together. 

Hammers, wrenches, and a quantity of stout staples to 
fasten the ends of the chains, were also selected from the 
general stock; and when at last the little man concluded 
that they had enough with which to begin work, it was 


94 


Raising the Pearl!' 

found that they made altogether too much of a load for 
the small boat to carry. • 

“You can take the smaller things with you, an’ I’ll send 
the heavier stuff by the same team that takes the lumber,” 
said Captain Sammy, and the boys started at once, only 
too anxious to begin operations without farther loss of 
time. 

Although they had not spent much time at the dock, 
they found Charley waiting for them when they rounded 
the point beyond which the Pearl lay in her watery rest- 
ing-place. 

He had with him a plentiful supply of provisions and a 
pail .of water; but the wonderfully good news which he 
brought received more immediate attention than the food 
did, hungry as they were. 

The landlord of the hotel, who knew, as almost every one 
in Tampa did by this time, of the work which the boys had 
on hand, had proposed to Mr. Evans that the young work- 
men be saved the trouble and time of walking back and 
forth from the hotel to the scene of their labors. In or- 
der to avoid this he had offered to loan them a shelter- 
tent and some bedding ; and Mr. Evans having accepted 
the offer, the tent would be sent down some time during 
the day. 

It was great news, to be sure, and they felt that even if 


Raising the ^'Pearii' 95 

they did not succeed in raising the Pearl they should have 
a glorious time camping out on the beach. 

After their excitement had subsided sufficiently they ate 
their breakfast, and a very hearty one they made, too ; and 
then, the tide having gone down so far as to leave the logs 
high and dry, they began their work, which they felt confi- 
dent would be crowned with success. 

The two timbers that were to form the sides of one of 
the rafts were hollowed out at each end, so that the logs 
which were to be placed on them would rest firmly, and 
the same work was performed on those that were to serve 
as ends. Then the four were laid together, forming very 
nearly a square, and around these overlapping ends were 
placed chains, which were made secure by driving staples 
through the links into the logs. 

It was nearly two hours before the first frame was thus 
made ready for the planking, but the time was well spent, 
for the timbers were fastened as securely as a carpenter 
could have done it. 

This work was hardly completed when Captain Sammy, 
seated on a huge load of lumber, rode slowly down the 
beach, and under his direction the planks were laid across 
the logs and nailed firmly in their places. In this way 
a double flooring was laid, which, although it was not 
water-tight, of course, would have very great buoyancy. 


g6 Raising the ^'Pearir 

that even a larger craft than the Pearl could hardly over- 
come. 

While this work was being done some of the men 
from the hotel brought the tent and bedding, and Captain 
Sammy exerted himself to give a good many more than the 
necessary orders for its erection, at the same time that he 
was issuing commands thick and fast to the builders of the 
rafts. 

Therefore, by the time the boys were ready for their din- 
ner they were able to eat it within the tent, through the 
open flaps of which they could see one of their lifting- 
machines all ready to be floated off to the sunken steamer, 
whose smoke-stack was then showing above the water. 

Captain Sammy had invited himself to dinner, and, de- 
spite the manner in which he had ordered them around 
during the forenoon, they were glad to have him with 
them, for, with all his bluster and scolding, his companion- 
ship was pleasant, and he rendered them a great deal of 
assistance. 

He scolded because he was obliged to stay there and su- 
perintend the operations, when both he and they knew that 
it was his own pleasure to be there. He fussed about this 
thing and tliat until the boys were more than ever con- 
vinced that his petulant ways concealed a good-natured, 
cheery old gentleman. 


BUILDING THE RAFTS. 





99 


Raising the ^Rearli' 

But during all the time, when he talked of almost every- 
thing, not one word did he speak regarding the pirate of 
Dollar Island. 

From the time they had returned to the main-land, even 
though so many things had occurred to make him happy, 
Dare had been anxious regarding Tommy Tucker, and now, 
while they w^ere enjoying an after-dinner rest, and Cap- 
tain Sammy appeared to be in such excellent humor, he re- 
solved to speak a good word for the captive. 

At first he tried to bring the conversation around so that 
the little man would voluntarily speak of the prisoner; 
but in this he was unsuccessful, for the Captain studiously 
avoided a mention of the ex-pirate’s name. 

Then Dare spoke of the discomfort of being obliged to 
remain in such a place as Dollar Island, and concluded by 
reminding the Captain that Tommy was there, with nothing 
to eat, and no chance of making his escape. 

An’ I hope he will stay there, too,” said Captain Sam- 
my, savagely. “I jest hope he’ll have to stay there two 
weeks, anyhow ; an’ then when he gets over here I’ll make 
it lively enough for him, so he’ll forget he’s ever been lone- 
some.” 

‘‘ But he would starve to death !” exclaimed Dare, horri- 
fied at the thought of any one being forced to remain so 
long in such a place. 


lOO 


Raising the "'Pearir 

Starve ? E’ot a bit of it. He knows bow to find plent}^ 
to eat ; an’ if he does go hungry a little while it’ll do him 
a power of good.” 

Surely it did seem as if, in Captain Sammy’s present 
state of mind, he would never consent to any plan for Tom- 
my’s relief ; but Dare had no idea of giving up so easily. 
He told the captain boldly that he was anxious to go after 
the boy, and asked him to consent to their going, because, 
in a certain sense, it was for him to say how much punish- 
ment Tommy should receive. 

Captain Sammy was, or professed to be, in a towering 
rage when Dare concluded, and declared that they should 
not go to Dollar Island, if he was obliged to stand guard 
over them all night in order to prevent it. 

Dare argued and entreated for a long time, but all to no 
purpose, until Captain Sammy, as if tired at being, urged 
so strongly, said, with a growl of impatience, 

“If I’ll agree to your goin’ after that villain will you 
agree to look out for him while you are here, an’ be re- 
sponsible for him ?” 

Dare hesitated ; he was not quite willing to promise so 
much, for fear he could not carry it out, but yet he felt 
very anxious to release the boy. 

“I’ll do the best I can, sir,” he replied, after some 
thought, “ and we’ll make him promise to behave himself.” 


lOI 


Raising the ^''Pearir 

‘‘Oh, he’ll promise it quick enough,” sneered Captain 
Sammy; “he’ll promise anything; but you’ve got to see 
that he keeps his word.” . 

“ We’ll all do the best we can to look out for him, won’t 
we, boys ?” asked Dare, pleased at the thought that he had 
won Captain Sammy over after such a struggle. 

Charley and Bobby nodded their heads, to show that they 
accepted their portion of the contract, although Bobby was 
not as cheerful about it as Dare would have liked to see 
him. 

“J^ow, I’ll give my consent to the plan if you’ll promise 
that you won’t go after him until to-morrow morning,” 
said Captain Sammy, with a terrible frown. “ One day 
isn’t enough to give him all he needs of Dollar Island.” 

Dare thought it the refinement of cruelty to keep the 
poor fellow there so long, no matter how much wrong he 
had done ; but Captain Sammy was firm in the stand he 
had taken, and no amount of persuasion could shake him. 

“JS’ot an hour sooner,” he said, decidedly; “and when 
you land him even then you want to be sure an’ keep him 
away from here, or I’ll — ” Captain Sammy tapped his 
wooden leg in a way that told plainly enough what he 
would have said. 

Dare was obliged to content himself with this leniency 
on the part of the injured captain ; but he promised him- 


102 Raising the Pearls 

self that they would start at a very early hour on the next 
morning. 

• “Now,” and Captain Sammy jumped to his feet, as if he 
had just discovered that they had been wasting valuable 
time, “ if you boys think you can waste your time in this 
way, you are mistaken. The Pearl will never show her 
bows above water if you don’t go to work.” 

There was no need of urging the boys to exertion, and 
as soon as he had shown that he was ready to continue the 
labor they were at it with a will. 

Owing to the little man’s disposition to work as well as 
command, the second raft was built in less time than the 
first; and when Captain Sammy started for home it was 
with the promise that he would return at low-water on the 
following day and help them to make fast to the steamer. 

Both rafts were anchored so that there could be no pos- 
sibility of their drifting away during the night, and the 
boys felt that they had reason to be satisfied with their 
day’s work. 

Shortly after Captain Sammy had left them Mr. and 
Mrs. Evans paid them a visit — Mr. Evans coming for the 
purpose of bringing them something to eat, and his wife 
that she might be sure they would be safe and comfortable 
during the night. 

It was while Dare was talking with his parents about the 


Raising the Pearls 103 

difficulty he had had in persuading Captain Sammy to al- 
low them to go for Tommy that his mother suggested that 
one of the boys find out where Mrs. Tucker lived, so that 
she might be told of her son’s whereabouts. 

Charley volunteered to carry the information to the 
pirate’s mother ; and when his parents returned to the ho- 
tel he accompanied them, leaving Dare and Bobby to look 
out for the camp, and to speculate upon their chances for 
lifting the steamer the next day. 

When Charley returned he reported that he had found 
Mrs. Tucker’s house without much trouble, and had told 
her where her son was. She had been very anxious about 
him, but as soon as she knew where he was she appeared 
to think that he would get home in some way, and seemed 
perfectly indifferent about the matter, save that she said 
she hoped Captain Sammy would whip some of Tommy’s 
foolish ideas out of his head. 

The boys were tired enough to go to bed very early that 
night ; but before they did so they were obliged to wait un- 
til the tide had floated the rafts, so they could anchor them 
in the proper position for beginning the morrow’s work. 

When that was done, and their boat had been drawn up 
some distance on the beach, the boys rolled into their camp- 
bed, where the ripple of the water on the beach lulled them 
to sleep in a remarkably short time. 


104 


Raising the Pearl! 


Chaptek IX. 



A DISCOUKAGED PIRATE. 

^ HANKS to the early hour at which the young 
wreckers retired, they were up almost as soon as 
the sun was on the day when the success or failure 
of their plan for raising the Pearl was to be de- 
termined. 

The day was all that could have been asked for, with no 
breeze strong enough to ruffle the surface of the water, and 
Dare knew that if they failed it would not be because of 
heavy sea or bad weather. 

The rafts floated securely where they had been anchored 
on the previous night, and as the boys looked at their stout 
frames, which would offer so much resistance to any weight 
that might be put upon them, it was easy to believe firmly 
that when they were made fast to the steamer the action 
of the tide would lift the Pearl very readily. 

They had three hours at their disposal before the water 
would be low enough to admit of their beginning work. 


Raising the ''Pearls 105 

and this time was to be employed in releasing Tommy>from 
his imprisonment. 

Breakfast was hurriedly eaten, and, without any fear that 
their belongings in the tent would be disturbed, even if 
any one from the town should pay them a visit, they start- 
ed for Dollar Island and the pirate. 

The pull over was not so laborious as when they had 
rowed Captain Sammy, for the boat they were then in was 
not as large as the one Tommy had wrecked, and, besides, 
it was earlier in the day, consequently much cooler. 

But it was sufficiently hard work to make them realize 
just how long a distance a mile was on the water, and none 
of them were sorry when the bow of the boat grated upon 
the beach of Dollar Island. 

They had supposed that Master Tucker would keep a 
very sharp lookout for approaching boats, and had no 
doubt but that he would be on the beach awaiting their 
arrival. 

But when they landed he was nowhere to be seen. They 
began to think he had already been rescued, and that their 
labor had been in vain. But they did not propose to re- 
turn until they had both made a thorough search, and 
taken a short rest ; therefore they went to their old camp- 
ing-place, as the starting-point from which to begin the 
search. 


io6 Raising the ^'Pearir 

When they arrived there they understood why it was 
that the prisoner had not welcomed them to the island. 

There, on the ground, on the same spot where they had 
encamped, lay the once brave but now thoroughly cowed 
pirate, sleeping quite as soundly as if he had been in his 
own bed at home. Around him were a number of shells, 
showing that Captain Sammy was right when he said the 
boy would find something to eat, and by his side was a club 
almost as large as himself, which he had probably taken to 
bed with him, in case it should become necessary to defend 
himself. 

Dare leaned over and shook him several times before 
he awakened. Then, as soon as his eyes were opened, he 
leaped to his feet and looked anxiously around, as if he 
expected to see Captain Sammy pop out of the bushes 
somewhere near him. 

‘‘Where is he?” he asked, as if doubting whether he 
could trust the intentions of his visitors. 

“ He’s at home, if you mean Captain Sammy,” replied 
Dare, “ and we have come to take you home too.” 

“ Are you goin’ to take me to him .^” he asked, with very 
little of the piratical swagger that had frightened Bobby 
at the time he captured the boat. 

“ISTo; you shall go wherever you want to,” and then 
Dare told him of the promise they had made regarding 


THE BOYS DISCOVER THE PIRATE. 



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Raising the "^Pearir 109 

him. “ ]^ow, you know that Captain Sammy will blame 
us if you do any more mean things, and we want you to 
promise us that you’ll try to do right.” 

“ Got anything to eat asked Tommy, as if he was dis- 
posed to get all he could before he bound himself by a 
promise. 

‘‘Yes,” said Charley, as he produced the lunch -basket 
which his thoughtfulness had prompted them to bring. 
“ Are you hungry ?” 

“ Awful,” was the pirate’s reply, as he looked longingly 
at the basket. 

Dare was not one who could see another suffer for any- 
thing when it was in his power to relieve him ; and al- 
though he felt that Tommy should have given his promise 
first, he opened the basket and took out the food, which 
Master Tucker ate ravenously, as though he had been on 
short rations for a week instead of a day. 

After he had eaten all he wanted — and the boys joined 
him, for their long pull had made them hungry also — 
Tommy seemed disposed to take up the conversation where 
it had been dropped. 

“Now, you wouldn’t get me over there, an’ then let him 
nab me, would you ?” he asked, imploringly. 

“No,” replied Dare, gravely. “We wouldn’t tell you 
anything that wasn’t true. If you promise us that you’ll 


no 


Raising the ''Pearls 

behave yourself in the future, he won’t trouble you, unless 
you go where he is.” 

“No danger of that,” was the emphatic reply. 

“ And will you promise ?” urged Dare. 

“ Yes,” said Tommy, “ I’ll promise, an’ I’ll keep it, too. 
I did think I wanted to be a pirate^ but somehow it ain’t 
as much fun as I thought it would be; an’ now that the 
flag an’ my sash an’ cap are gone I’ll let Ikey Jones be 
the pirate, an’ I’ll look ’round for somethin’ else.” 

Dare told him that they had heard that Ikey Jones had 
also reformed, so that the pirates of Tampa no longer had 
an existence, except in the memory of Captain Sammy, 
where it would be likely to remain green until he had for- 
gotten his wrecked boat. 

Tommy felt better after his breakfast, although he was 
still thoroughly discouraged, and he freely admitted that 
he was very sorry for what he had done. He made many 
promises that he would mend his ways in the future, and 
Dare felt reasonably certain that they would have no 
trouble in keeping their word to Captain Sammy concern- 
ing him. 

They remained on Dollar Island about half an hour, and 
when they started on the return trip Master Tucker took 
one of the oars, working at it manfully until they were 
within about a quarter of a mile of the shore. Then he 


Raising the ''Pearls 1 1 1 

ceased rowing, as if he began to mistrust that which had 
been told him, and, looking Dare full in the face, he asked, 

“Now, you ain’t foolin’ me, are you ?” 

“ How do you mean ?” 

“Captain Sammy ain’t hidin’ anywhere ’round here, 
where he can jump out an’ nab me jest the minute we 
get on shore, is he ?” 

“ If you are afraid, and don’t believe us,” said Dare, with 
considerable dignity, hurt because they should be doubted 
after all they had done, “you can land wherever you say, 
and then you will be sure we are not deceiving you.” 

“ I ain’t ’zactly ’fraid, an’ I don’t think you’d tell any 
lies about it,” said Tommy, with some hesitation, “but, if 
it don’t make any difference to you, I’d rather get out 
farther down the beach.” 

The boat was headed in the direction he desired, and 
when the land was reached Tommy first made sure that his 
enemy was nowhere in sight, and then jumped out quickly. 

“ Now, see here, fellers,” he said, as he held on to the 
bow of the boat for a moment : “ you’ve helped me out of 
a bad scrape, an’ I’ll keep my promise to you jest as long 
as Cap’en Sammy lets me alone.” And, after crossing his 
throat with his fingers, to make his words more impressive, 
he ran as fast as his legs could cany him in the direction 
of his home. 


1 12 Raising the 'Rearir 

There was not one of the bojs who did not believe that 
Tommy would keep his word; and had they been told, 
then that they would be sorry that they had released the 
prisoner, they would have laughed at the idea. 

It was not a long distance from where Tommy had been 
landed to where the Pearl lay, and when they arrived at 
the scene of their labors Captain Sammy was just coming 
up in a boat rowed by two men. 

The little man looked at them savagely, as if he was 
angry with himself for having given his permission for 
the release of Tommy ; but he said nothing, which was 
quite a relief to the boys. 

The tide was nearly down, and it was evident that the 
little man had come there to work, for, after ordering the 
men to row him directly to the rafts, he called out for the 
boys to bring him the cables. 

It was quite a task to load the long chains from the 
beach to the boat, and while it was being done Captain 
Sammy and his men busied themselves in inspecting the 
rafts and the position of the sunken steamer. 

‘^Now, then,” said Captain Sammy, when the chains 
were finally placed on one of the rafts, “ we are goin’ to 
help you make fast to the Pearly and after that you will 
have to do all the work yourselves. While we are passing 
the chains under the steamer you had better be stretching 


Raising the Pearls 1 1 3 

a hawser from the rafts to the shore, so that you can haul 
them in at high-water.” 

Dare preferred that they should do all the work them- 
selves, but he knew that Captain Sammy would do it much 
better, and, in view of all the circumstances, the boys could 
not say anything against any plan he might propose. Long 
before the task was done, however, they were very glad 
that they had his assistance, for it was not many moments 
before they saw a number of contrivances for lessening the 
labor which they would never have thought of. 

Even the fastening of the hawsers was not such a sim- 
ple task as it looked. It was necessary to attach a short 
one first to each raft, and then fasten the two ends on to 
a longer one, so that when the boys pulled the rafts and 
their burden in -shore they would move at the same time 
and under the same amount of force. Otherwise a swing- 
ing motion might be imparted to the yacht as she hung 
in the chains, displacing or wrenching her. 

Long as it took the boys to get the hawsers arranged 
properly. Captain Sammy did not seem to have begun his 
portion of the work when they had finished ; at least, that 
was what Dare thought at first, although he afterward 
changed his mind. 

One end of each of the two cables had been wound sev- 
eral times around the log that formed one side of the raft 

8 


1 14 Raising the ‘'"Pearir 

that floated on the port side of the Pearl, and then made 
secure bj two heavy staples. The middle, or bight, of the 
chains hung down in the water, while the other ends were 
thrown over the raft lying to starboard. 

“We’re all ready now to hook on, and it must be full 
low-water,” said Captain Sammy, as he consulted his watch, 
and the boys interpreted the remark into an order for them 
to be ready to assist. 

They rowed out to the port raft, and there waited the 
little man’s pleasure. The two men had gotten into their 
boat, which they anchored directly over the bow of the 
Pearl, and there, each holding a long boat-hook, they too 
waited for Captain Sammy to give the word. 

The little man was on the starboard raft, and when he 
was satisfied that every one was ready he shouted, as he 
grasped the unsecured end of the cable, 

“ Dare, you and Charley lean over the raft and swing 
your end of the cable in-shore; and you,” he added to his 
men, “ stand ready.” 

The boys obeyed the order without understanding what 
they were to effect, and when the heavy chain was slowly 
swung toward the beach the men in the boat fastened the 
iron-shod end of their poles into it at its lowest point in the 
water, pushing it directly under the bow of the sunken 
steamer. 


Raising the ^'’Pearir 115 

Captain Sammy quickly made his end of the cable fast 
with a piece of rope, and then exactly the same work was 
done on the other. 

After the two cables were thus in position the two rafts 
were swung nearer together, and the two logs which the 
boys thought had been uselessly cut were placed across 
from one raft to the other, about ten feet apart. 

After the cable had been hauled as taut as possible, the 
ends on the starboard raft were then secured as firmly as 
the others. 

Captain Sammy then produced from his boat four stout 
chains, each about twenty feet in length, and having large 
clamps at one end. 

These he hooked on to the cables a short distance below 
the surface of the water, one on each side, and brought 
them up around the two logs. 

“There, my lads,” said Captain Sammy, triumphantly, 
“when you want to take up the slack to-morrow all you 
have to do is to anchor the rafts as far apart as possible, 
drop the clamps farther down on the main cable, and 
belay the short chains. Besides, by this means, you see, 
there is no chance for the rafts to swing one way or the 
other, and drop the PeaH out just when you think you 
have her fast.” 

It was a contrivance which the boys would never have 


ii6 Raising the '^Pearir 

thought of, and Dare now congratulated himself that Cap- 
tain Sammy had been anxious to aid them. 

All hands now turned their attention to drawing the 
short chains taut, and this was done by the means of a cap- 
stan-bar, a turn being taken around one end of it, and then 
the bar being used as a lever. 

Each one had been drawn up as taut as the strength of 
the workmen could make them, a double hook was fastened 
through the links, and their portion of the work was done. 
It was for the water to do the remainder. 

The tide had commenced to flow, and all hands went on 
shore to watch the effect of their labor, the boys so excited 
that it seemed as if the minutes had twice the usual num- 
ber of seconds in them. 


Raising the ^^Pearll 





Chapter X. 

THE WORK OF THE TIDE. 

'“.NXIOUSLY the boys watched for the first sign 
which would tell that their plan was a success, 
and as the water rose higher and higher their 
fears lest it should prove a failure increased. 

Soon it was easy to see that the rafts were settling into 
the water, and the chains gave forth a dull, mufiled clank 
now and then as the strain upon them forced the links into 
a more perfect bearing upon each other. 

“ Do you think they will raise her asked Dare, unable 
to bear the suspense any longer in silence. 

“ Kaise her !” echoed Captain Sammy ; “ they’ll have to, 
unless something breaks, and I don’t think it will.” 

Then the boys waited in fear lest something should 
break, starting in alarm at the slightest sound. But there 
was no sign but that everything was as strong as Captain 
Sammy’s faith in the result of the experiment. 

Finally the rafts settled down as if the weight of the 
Pearl was about to submerge them, and then, just as the 


ii8 Raising the ^Rearir 

boys were expecting to see them covered by the water, 
there was a sudden rocking motion, a sort of trembling of 
the planking, and they rose at once several inches out of 
the water. 

Hurrah !” shouted the captain, and the men joined in 
with him as he repeated the cheer, while the boys looked 
up in surprise, not seeing any reason for such outburst of 
triumph. 

“ The rafts have raised her, and the Pearl is afloat again, 
even if she is under the water,” said Captain Sammy, in 
an explanatory way. “ When the rafts were nearly covered 
with water it was the suction of the boat as she laid on the 
soft bottom that held them down, more than the weight. 
When they kind of trembled they were overcoming the 
suction, and when they rose out of the water after that 
they took the Pearl with them.” 

Although it was a trifle late, the boys set up their cheer 
of triumph, and they made considerably more noise about 
it than the others had done. 

“Well, lads,” said Captain Sammy, in a cheery tone, 
“ the work is as good as done now. If I wasn’t getting so 
old and full of rheumatic twinges I’d stay over here with 
you, an’ we’d take advantage of the tide to-night, for there’s 
a good moon ; but as it is we’ll have to wait till morning, 
an’ I’ll toddle over to the dock now, to see how things are 


Raising the ^'Pearir 1 1 9 

coming on there. Keep a sharp lookout that nothing hap- 
pens, an’ I’ll be here at low-tide to-morrow.” 

He had started off when he commenced to speak, and by 
the time he had finished he and his men were nearly out 
of sight around the point. 

The boys were alone to keep watch that the tide did its 
duty. 

“ I’ll tell you what we can do,” said Dare, after they had 
remained silent for some time watching the rafts as they 
lifted the Pearl higher and higher from the place that had 
verjr- nearly been her grave : ‘‘ it will be low-water at ten 
o’clock, and bright moonlight at the same time. We can 
take in the slack of those cables just as well as if Captain 
Sammy was with us. It will be high -tide about four 
o’clock in the morning, and we can take turns at watching, 
so that we shall be sure to pull her in at high-water. Then 
when Captain Sammy comes to-morrow she will be almost 
ready to go to work on.” 

Of course neither Charley nor Bobby valued the loss of 
sleep as compared with getting their boat afioat a day 
sooner, and they agreed to the plan at once. 

As it was necessary to remain idle until high-water, 
which would be five hours later. Dare proposed that Bobby 
should proceed to the hotel for a fresh supply of provisions, 
and also to inform his father of their success thus far. 


120 Raising the ^Rearir 

Bobby had no objection to offer, since the pirate had 
been vanquished, and he set off at once, while Dare and 
Charley remained in the tent, resting from the fatigue of 
the morning. 

Bobby returned in due time, warm, tired, and loaded 
down with good things, out of which all three made a 
hearty dinner. Then there was more lounging around and 
laying plans for their trip to the Everglades, until the 
water had crept nearly up to the line on the sand which 
marked the height to which the tide flowed. 

Then the work began. The long hawser had been made 
fast to a tree which grew on the bank, and Charley and 
Bobby stationed themselves there, while Dare rowed out 
to the rafts and raised the anchors. 

“ All right !” he shouted as the last one was raised, and 
nothing prevented the rafts and their burden from being 
pulled in toward the shore. 

As he spoke he jumped into the boat, rowed quickly to 
the beach, and did his share toward hauling their prize into 
more shallow water. 

The task required all the strength which they possessed, 
but they were more than willing to expend it at such 
work, and by the time the tide was fully up the Pea/pl 
had struck bottom again, and their labor was over for six 
hours. 


Raising the ''Rearir 121 

The rafts were anchored again, care being taken that it 
should be done in such a way that they would swing as far 
apart as possible, as Captain Sammy had ordered, and when 
the young' wreckers were in their tent again they had the 
satisfaction of seeing that the Pearl was not more than 
half as far away from the shore as she had been in the 
morning. 

“Now,” said Dare, as he looked at his watch, “it is a 
little past four. Let’s see if some of us can’t bottle up 
some sleep before it is time to go to work again. Charley, 
you and Bob lay down, and I will keep watch until six; 
Bobby shall stand guard till eight, and you till ten. After 
that we will divide up an hour at a time, because it will 
be more lonesome in the night.” 

This plan was carried out, and, although there was not 
much sleeping done before low -water, each one felt re- 
freshed because of the rest they had thus forced themselves 
to take. 

The night was so light that it was possible to work quite 
as well ■ as in the day, and they were cheered in their 
labors by seeing fully half the upper-works of the little 
steamer above water, when, before, only her smoke-stack 
was visible. 

The little pilot-house and cabin glistened as white in the 
moonlight as if the painters had just concluded their work. 


122 Raising the 'Rearir 

and through the open windows could be seen a portion of 
the machinery. 

‘‘ Isn’t she a beauty !” exclaimed Charley, as they stood 
on the rafts looking at the little craft which was to be the 
reward of their labors. 

“ Indeed she is,” replied Dare, who hardly felt like doing 
anything else but looking at her; “but she won’t do us 
much good if we don’t go to work.” 

Thus reminded that they were there for labor rather 
than admiration, the boys commenced at once the difficult 
task before them. The chains were first unfastened one by 
one, and then made taut and fastened again, as Captain 
Sammy and his men had done at first. ^ 

While it was not possible for the boys to take in as much 
slack of the chains as the three men could have done, they 
had the satisfaction of reducing the length very materially. 

Then the anchors were placed so that the rafts would 
swing closer together when the tide forced them to begin 
their work of lifting again, and the night-watch began. 

It was fully eleven o’clock, and Dare proposed that they 
stand guard one hour at a time. As the first watch would 
be the easiest. Dare gave that to Bobby, with instructions 
to call Charley at twelve, he coming on at one. 

During that night not one of the sentries fell asleep at 
his post. There were many times when each one of them 


123 


Raising the '^'Pearir 

felt very much like yielding to the slumber that beset his 
eyelids ; but a brisk walk along the beach soon rendered 
him wakeful. 

At one o’clock Dare was called, and when his hour was 
up he could not bring himself to awaken either of the 
others, who were sleeping so sweetly, and arguing that, as 
the leader of the party, he should do the most work, contin- 
ued on guard until four o’clock, when he roused the others. 

Both the boys were very much surprised at finding that 
Dare had been on watch three hours instead of one, and 
Charley insisted that in the future he should do no more 
than his share of the work, whatever might happen. 

This time it was a sleepy party who tugged and pulled at 
the heavy hawser ; but when the Pea/rl grounded it seemed 
almost certain that she would be fully uncovered at low- 
water, and with the idea that in the morning they would 
be able to see the extent of the damage done their steamer, 
all hands rolled into bed. 


124 


Raising the ‘Rearli 


Chapter XI. 



HIGH AND DRY. 

The boys did not awaken until a late hour on the 
following morning, and then, even though it was 
only about “half-tide,” they could see above the 
surface of the water a considerable part of the up- 
per-works of the steamer. 

They felt lame and stiff when they came out of the tent, 
but this actual evidence of progress took that feeling away 
in a great measure, and all hands were as eager for work 
as if they had been taking rest for a week. 

One of the boys from the hotel had brought them a can 
of hot coffee, and, after a hurried bath in the sea, which 
amounted to hardly more than a dip into the watdr, they 
ate their breakfast in quite as much haste, for they wanted 
to have everything in and around the tent looking in ship- 
shape order when Captain Sammy arrived. 

Each moment that passed revealed more of the little 
steamer to the view of the eager watchers, and, pad- 
dling out to the rafts, they had the satisfaction of seeing 


Raising the ^'Pearir 125 

that, without a doubt, she would be high and dry at low- 
water. 

Already was the rail of the steamer uncovered, and it 
was at last possible to see very plainly the little craft that 
was to be under their complete control. 

She was a side-wheel boat, on the paddle-boxes of which 
was painted in black, with just a trifle of ornamentation, 
the words : 

THE PEARL, 

OF TAMPA, 

The smoke-stack was painted red, and the remainder of the 
outside work pure white. The paint had suffered but little 
discoloration by its long bath. 

About three feet of the bow was decked over flush with 
the rail, and evidently served as a tank for fresh- water; 
then came the main cabin, built straight up from the bot- 
tom flooring, and occupying fully twelve feet of the length. 
At the forward end of this, and rising about three feet 
above the top, was a tiny pilot-house, hardly more than 
three feet square, in which could be seen a wheel that had 
once been highly polished, and curiously inlaid with differ- 
ent colored woods and what looked to be pieces of bone or 
ivory. 

The interior of the cabin was painted light gray, and it 


126 Raising the ^Rearir 

occupied the full width of the craft. A door at the for- 
ward end permitted communication with the bow, and one 
aft led into the little hall that ran past the engine-room to 
the stern. Two windows on either side afforded means for 
the free circulation of air, and between these windows were 
two berths, one above the other, on each side. 

The machinery — which was, of course, directly between 
the paddle-boxes — occupied about eight feet of space, and 
aft of this was a small room, about four feet deep, that was 
evidently intended for the engineer. 

Aft of this was the standing-room, five feet deep, over 
which had once been an awning. Nothing was now left 
of this but shreds of cloth hanging in the most forlorn- 
looking manner. 

If the boys had superintended the construction of the 
boat they could hardly have had one that pleased them 
better, or which was more suited to the work to which 
they intended to put her. 

Now that they had seen the interior of the Pearly they 
were doubly anxious to ascertain just how much damage 
had been done to her, so that they might know how much 
labor would have to be performed before she could be 
fioated. 

Already they could see a jagged hole on the port side 
of her bow, through which Bobby could have crawled, but 


Raising the ''Pearls 127 

whether any of her bottom planking had been torn out it 
was impossible to tell. 

They were so busily engaged in trying to ascertain the 
extent of her injuries that they did not hear the approach 
of Captain Sammy, who was stumping along the beach, 
evidently in a state of the greatest surprise because the 
work had progressed so rapidly, and it was not until he 
spoke that they were aware of his presence. 

“ Now, that’s what I call business,” he said, approvingly. 
“You couldn’t wait for daylight, but had to sit up all 
night, so you could see the craft to-day, eh ?” 

“We thought it was a pity to waste so much time, when 
it wasn’t a great deal of work to take advantage of last 
night’s tide,” replied Dare. 

“Well, if I had known what you had been doing I 
should have brought some stuff to work with this morning. 
Say, you, Charley and Bobby, come in-shore here and put 
me on to the raft, and then row over to the dock. Tell 
one of the men there to give you some canvas, pump-tacks, 
and cold tar ; then get back here as quick as you can.” 

The boys obeyed the little captain’s orders very readily, 
and while they were at the dock Captain Sammy and Dare 
unfastened the cables from one of the rafts and poled it 
ashore. 

The planks which had formed the top were now to do 


128 


Raising the '‘Rearir 

service as ways for the boat to rest on while she was being 
repaired, and these were nailed together and weighted 
down by the chains and rocks, so they could not float 
when the tide came up again. 

By the time the boys returned from the dock the entire 
bow of the steamer was out of water. 

The injury she had received was now found to be far 
less than had been supposed. She had been badly stove in 
at the bow, but the bottom planking was found to be in- 
tact, and she had sustained no damage save in that one 
place. 

The water had run out of the deep hole in the bows as 
the tide receded until all that was left in her remained at 
the stern. 

“Now, you boys,” said Captain Sammy to Charley and 
Bobby, “get on board and go to pumping just as soon as 
the rail is above water, and when the tide comes in to-night 
I promise you it shall float the Pea/pl wherever we want 
her.” 

The little man, with Dare’s assistance, then began nail- 
ing the canvas over the broken timbers, and when it was 
all done a thick coating of tar was spread over it. 

Charley and Bobby had worked industriously at the 
pump until they were nearly tired out ; and when Captain 
Sammy’s work was finished Dare took their place, and 


NOW that’s what I CALL BUSINESS 






Raising the ''Pearls 131 

remained there till the sucking sound of the pump-boxes 
told that the Pearl was freed from the burden of water 
that had held her captive. 

She was high and dry on the beach, and while they were 
waiting for the in-coming tide Captain Sammy ordered the 
boys to clean out the sand and other dirt which had accu- 
mulated in the cabins and engine-room. 

Then her anchors and cables, as well as every other 
movable thing on board, and some of the chains used for 
raising her, were piled up in the stern, in order to raise her 
bow as high as possible above the water when she should 
float. 

That done, the tired party went to the tent for the din- 
ner, which had been delayed until the work was finished, 
and again they waited for the tide, though this time it was 
with the certainty that the little steamer would fioat upon 
it unaided. 

Their waiting was of short duration, for so much time 
had been employed in getting the craft ready for the last 
portion of the labor of raising her that the tide was flowing 
in before they began to eat their dinner. 

As soon as the water began to ripple around the stern of 
the Pearl Charley and Bobby were ordered on board with 
long poles. They were to force her along when she be- 
gan to fioat, while Captain Sammy and Dare stood by the 


132 


Raising the 'Rearir 

hawser that had been made fast to the bow, in order to 
pull her on to the ways that had been laid as high up on 
the beach as it was thought the steamer would float. 

When in sailing trim the Pearl drew but fourteen inches 
of water; but now, owing to the heavy load in the stern, 
the tide had risen nearly three feet around her before she 
began to swing slowly around. 

‘‘ Hold her there !” shouted Captain Sammy to those on 
board. ‘‘Don’t let her swing one way or the other,” and 
then he and Dare pulled her a few inches ahead until she 
grounded again. 

The yacht floated with her bows high out of the water; 
and even if the precaution of patching her up with can- 
vas had not been taken, she could hardly have shipped any 
water after she was once afloat. 

In this slow way she was forced up the beach until, when 
the tide began to ebb again, she had settled firmly down on 
to the plank ways, and so high up that the workmen would 
not be disturbed by the water more than two hours each 
day. 

“There!” said Captain Sammy, as he lighted his pipe, 
seated himself on the sand, and unbuckled his leg for a 
more complete rest while enjoying his triumphal smoke, 
“ the Pearl has been raised, an’ all you boys have got to do 
is to patch up the hole in her bows. You want to And 


Raising the "Rearir 133 

some well-seasoned cedar lumber, and you’ll have the work 
done in no time.” 

]^ow, after what looked to be the most difficult of the 
task had been performed, Dare began to doubt his ability 
to repair the steamer in a workmanlike manner, and his 
face told quite plainly just what was troubling him. 

“I s’pose you begin to think the worst part of the work 
has yet to come ?” said the little man, as he tapped with his 
wooden leg on the tarred canvas. 

“ I’m afraid we sha’n’t be able to make it look as nice as 
it did before, although I think we could make it water- 
tight,” said Dare, frankly. 

‘‘Well, I’ll tell you what can be done. I’ll see to get- 
ting the lumber, and I’ll come over here and boss the job, 
providing you’ll take me out as a passenger when you start 
on your cruise,, in case I should want to go.” 

There could be but one answer to such a proposition, for 
the boys had come to like the little man so much during 
their acquaintance with him that they would be only too 
well pleased to have him with them, and Dare told him as 
much. 

^ “Then,” said Captain Sammy, apparently delighted at 
the boys’ liking for him, “ we’ll have the Pearl ready in 
two days, and on Monday you can start.” 


134 


Raising the '‘'Pearl! 



Chapter XII. 

THE LAUNCH. 

'HE boys were, naturally,' very anxious to start 
on their cruise to the Everglades as soon as pos- 
sible, but yet they felt that Captain Sammy was 
making a very rash promise when he said the 
Pearl would be repaired in two days. 

Eager as they were to have the work done, they did 
not think it could be accomplished so quickly; but they 
resolved to waste no time, in order that they might do their 
full share. 

Therefore, while Captain Sammy was smoking content- 
edly on the beach, they set about a thorough cleaning of 
the interior, which promised to be a long task. 

Then a new difficulty presented itself : the engine needed 
prompt and skilled attention, and neither of the boys had 
the slightest knowledge of machinery. The more Dard 
thought about the matter the more firmly was he convinced 
that they were utterly powerless to act in that department, 
and in his perplexity he appealed to Captain Sammy. 


135 


Raising the ^Rearir 

“ Of course you don’t know anything about the engine, 
and no more do I,” replied the little man, quietly. “ What 
you’ve got to do is to hire Tom _Kogers for two or three 
days, let him put the engine in good condition, and then 
teach you how to run it. I’ll send him over here in the 
morning, and you can make a trade with him.” 

Thus the trouble which at first looked so serious to the 
boys was easily settled, and the}^ continued their work of 
cleaning and scrubbing until long after the little captain 
had hobbled home. 

It was sunset when they ate their supper, and during 
that pleasing and important duty Mr. and Mrs. Evans paid 
them a visit. 

They were both very much surprised at the progress 
which had been made, and Mr. Evans, old as he was, could 
hardly conceal the pleasure of a boy at the sight of the 
trim little craft. 

If Mrs. Evans had had any doubts about the wisdom of 
allowing the boys to take such a long trip as that to the 
Everglades was, those doubts were all dispelled, and her 
mind set perfectly at rest, when she heard what Captain 
Sammy had said about going with them. 

Mr. Evans told Dare that he might engage the machinist 
whom Captain Sammy was to send to remain with them 
until both he and Charley could manage the engine; and 


136 Raising the '‘Rearir 

then he and his wife returned to the hotel, taking Charley 
with them, that he might bring a supply of clean clothes 
and more provisions to the tent. 

There was very little time lost in trying to get to sleep 
that night after Charley returned. The hard work during 
the day and the wakefulness of the preceding night had 
the effect of closing their eyes in slumber almost as soon 
as they were stretched out on the camp-bed. 

They slept the next morning until after Captain Sammy 
arrived and shouted, “ Shipmates, ahoy !” in his gruffest 
tones, and then they scrambled out, feeling decidedly 
ashamed at being found in bed when the little man was 
there and ready for work. 

It was^a very hurried toilet and a still more hasty break- 
fast they made that morning, and while they were thus 
engaged Captain Sammy had ordered two men whom he 
had brought with him to go to work. 

One was the machinist, and he agreed to put the engine 
in thorough working order in two days, while he thought 
that in that time, if one of the boys would help him, he 
could give him snch instruction as would enable him to 
run the engine as much as w^ould be needed on the pro- 
posed trip. 

The man said his charges would be three dollars per day, 
and Dare engaged him to remain with them as long as was 


Raising the '‘'Pearl!' 137 

necessary, provided he did not get through as quickly as 
he had thought he could. 

“ You’d better keep him with you until you get down to 
San Carlos harbor,” said Captain Sammy, and Dare con- 
cluded the bargain, subject to his father’s approval. 

When the question came up as to which boy should turn 
engineer Dare thought he ought to take that post, since 
there was likely to be more work involved ; but Captain 
Sammy settled the matter by saying, 

“ Let Charley attend to the engine, and Bobby can help 
him. You are the oldest, and should be the skipper, for 
that is really the hardest position, and one which requires 
the longest head. You must remember that you are going 
into waters about which you know nothing, and an error 
of judgment may wreck the Pearl where she can’t be 
raised, as she was here.” 

Since Captain Sammy’s words amounted virtually to a 
decision, Charley and Bobby went into the engine-room 
with Tom Rogers, while Captain Sammy, the man he had 
brought with him, and Dare set to work closing up the 
hole in the bows. 

When done by one who understood the work as thor- 
oughly as Captain Sammy did, it was neither a long nor 
a difficult task to make the little steamer water-tight again. 

The plan was to seal up her hull with a single covering 


138 Raising the ''Pearls 

of cedar boards about an inch thick, and when those which 
had been shattered were removed it was a simple matter 
to replace them with the ones Captain Sammy had brought 
with him. 

So simple was the work to Captain Sammy and his man 
that by six o’clock the hull of the Pearl had been made as 
good as ever, and the new timbers had received the first 
coat of white-lead, over which was to be put two coats of 
paint. 

Rogers had progressed much more slowly in the engine- 
room, because it was necessary to take the machinery en- 
tirely apart and free it. from the rust that had, under the 
action of the salt-water, begun to gather. 

The hired men stopped work promptly at six o’clock, 
and Captain Sammy went away with them ; but the boys 
continued their work of “cleaning up” as long after sup- 
per as it was possible for them to see what they were 
about. 

On the following morning they took very good care that 
Captain Sammy should not find them asleep when he came, 
and when the day was done the work on the Pearl was 
finished. Nothing remained but to launch her. 

But it was now Saturday night, and as it was necessary 
that the paint should dry as much as possible. Captain 
Sammy decided that they would not launch her until Mon- 


Raising the ''Pearli' 139 

day, which plan would enable them to start on their cruise 
Tuesday morning, if they were so disposed. 

That night the boys went to the hotel, to remain over 
Sunday. It was not necessary for any one to keep watch 
over the Pearly and they had had enough of camp life to 
make them willing to sleep in a comfortable bed, as well as 
to eat their food at a table. 

Captain Sammy had agreed to furnish the necessary bed- 
ding, cooking utensils, and coal, while upon the boys was 
to rest the duty of victualling of the craft. 

Therefore Dare and his father had considerable business 
to attend to that evening, for the question had to be set- 
tled whether Mr. Evans would be willing to buy for them 
provisions sufficient to last on the long voyage they pro- 
posed to take. 

Dare was very much afraid that his father would not 
consent, and therefore it was with anxious hearts that 
Charley and Bobby accompanied him when he went into 
the room to ask the important question. 

In order that there might be no mistake about it Dare 
first told his father that, now that the raising of the Pearl 
was an accomplished fact, they had come for his permission 
to make a long trip through the Everglades, or as far in as 
they could go in the yacht. Dare also told him what por- 
tion of the outfit of the steamer Captain Sammy would fur- 


140 Raising the "Rearir 

nish, and concluded by asking if he would buy the pro- 
visions for them. 

Mr. Evans’s answer was as satisfactory as it was prompt : 

I already have to pay for the use of the lumber you 
hired, and shall be obliged to pay the machinist. Now, I 
am willing to purchase the things necessary for the cruise, 
provided you all give up your allowance of spending- 
money, and provided you learn all that is possible of the 
State which you are in, and the peculiar formation of the 
lower portion of it.” 

There was no question as to whether the boys would 
accept such a generous offer, and it would have been im- 
possible to find three more happy boys in the entire State 
of Florida than Dare, Charley, and Bobby. 

The Monday on which the Pearl was to be launched 
came at last, as all days will, however the time may drag, 
and the boys were up and on the beach at an early hour in 
the morning, even though the tide would not serve for the 
important ceremony until nearly evening. 

With the exception of Kogers’s work on the machinery, 
there was nothing more that could be done until the little 
steamer was afloat ; but Charley had enough to occupy his 
attention in receiving his lesson on steam-engines in gen- 
eral and that belonging to the Pearl in particular. Bobby 
had been present in the capacity of general assistant during 


Raising the Pearl!' 14 1 

the two previous days, and on the day of the launch he was 
still there, seeming to think his presence was absolutely 
necessary. 

Thus Dare was left alone, as it were, until such time as 
Captain Sammy should come, for the engine-room of the 
Pearl was so small that it was impossible for more tlian 
three to get into it and have an opportunity to work. 

He had left the boat to go to the tent while he was still 
waiting for Captain Sammy, when he saw a movement 
among the bushes that skirted the shore, and then a small, 
familiar-looking head was protruded on a short voyage of 
discovery. 

There could be no mistake as to the ownership of that 
head, for it belonged to the former pirate of Tampa, and 
the stealthy manner in which it had been shown betokened 
mischief. 

“ Where’s the old heathen whispered Tommy, as soon 
as Dare had approached him. 

“ I’m expecting him every minute now, and you must be 
careful not to let him see you, or I’m afraid he might pun- 
ish you for wrecking the boat.” 

He’ll see me more’n he wants to before long,” said 
Master Tucker, with a tinge of the old swagger in his 
tones. “ I was goin’ past his dock last night, an’ he started 
after me, an’ when he found he couldn’t catch me he shied 


142 Raising the Pearls 

a stick an’ hit me on the arm. Now I’m goin’ to serve him 
out, promise or no promise, an’ I’ve come to warn you. 
That’s his steamer, an’ even if he has lent it to you I’m — ” 

The sentence was not finished, owing to the fact that the 
head was suddenly withdrawn, and a quick rustling of the 
bushes told that its owner was carrying it away at full 
speed, while the sight of Captain Sammy on the beach told 
the reason of the haste. 

Dare was alarmed lest Tommy meditated “ serving Cap- 
tain Sammy out ” by doing some injury to the Pearly and 
he resolved to speak with the little man regarding it before 
he left him that night. 

There was no chance for conversation then, for the Cap- 
tain bustled and fussed around with his preparations for 
the launch, ordering Dare here and there until he got so 
confused that he hardly knew what he was about. 

When he was ready to put the finishing touches to his 
work those in the engine-room were called out on to the 
beach, and Dare ordered to go on board. He was to stand 
in the bows, to throw over the anchors as soon as the 
launch had been accomplished, and both the other boys 
envied him the position. 

Mr. and Mrs. Evans, who had promised to be present at 
the ceremony, arrived about fifteen minutes before the ap- 
pointed time, and Captain Sammy was kept remarkably 


Raising the Pearls 143 

busy in trying to do his work and explain everything to 
the visitors at the same time. 

Finally all was ready, the last block was laid, and the 
captain and Rogers began knocking away the timbers that 
held the Pearl prisoner. 

Then she started, slowly at first, her speed increasing 
each second, until she struck the water with a force that 
dashed the spray up around her in great volumes, and once 
more the Pearl was afloat. 

Those on shore set up a loud shout of triumph, to which 
Dare responded by waving his hat, and then he let go both 
anchors. 

Just as this was done, and he was thinking with pride 
that the beautiful little craft was at his disposal for some 
time at least, he caught a glimpse of Tommy Tucker, who 
was standing among the trees, peering out, as if plotting 
some mischief against the little steamer ; and that sight de- 
stroyed all Dare’s pleasure for the time being. 


144 


Raising the '"Pearl. 


Chapter XIII. 



THE VOYAGE BEGUN. 

OWEYEK much the sight of Tommy Tucker 
standing near the beach, as if meditating some 
mischief, might have troubled Dare, he was not 
allowed to spend much time dwelling on his fears. 

The speed of the steamer had hardly been checked by 
the anchors before those on the beach, including Mr. and 
Mrs. Evans, got into the small boats and rowed out to’ the 
Pearl. 

‘‘Xow,” said Captain Sammy, in his old commanding 
way, after all were on board, “ we have got to get the craft 
around to the dock, so that we can get the supplies on 
board. Dare, you go into the pilot-house and steer as 
snug along the shore, toward the dock, as possible, while 
the rest of us pull her. Charley and Bobby will take one 
boat, and Eogers and I the other, and if we can’t walk her 
along over the water, no one can.” 

The anchors were raised, the towing-lines made fast, and, 
under the influence of four oars, the jaunty little steamer 


H5 


Raising the ''Pearir 

glided over the water at a respectable rate of speed, while 
Dare, in the pilot-house, was as proud and happy as any 
boy could be who had so unexpectedly become captain of 
so fine a steamer as the Pearl. 

Mr. and Mrs. Evans, as the passengers, examined every 
part of the boat, and, judging from the admiration on their 
faces when they finished the inspection, it would not have 
been a difficult matter to have persuaded them to take a 
short cruise. 

In less than half an hour the steamer was made fast to 
Captain Sammy’s wharf, just opposite a large pile of arti- 
cles which he had laid out in the morning, and which were 
put on board of her at once. 

There was bedding for the four berths, tables, chairs, 
and all sorts of cooking utensils, the last mentioned of 
which Captain Sammy was very careful about, he stating, 
as the reason of his excessive precaution, that he had 
shipped as cook, and wanted to know where all his imple- 
ments were. 

Then came water-casks, spare ropes, spars, and cables, and 
some of the workmen about the deck were set at work fill- 
ing the tank with water and putting the coal on board. 

It was a scene of pleasurable excitement to the boys, for 
all this hurried preparation told that the time for their 
departure was very near at hand. 

10 


146 Raising the ''Pearir 

Captain Sammy had taken very good care that there 
should be no delay about the start, and to that end had 
done a great deal of work during the morning, as was 
shown when he handed Mr. Evans a list of eatables which 
he had ordered, and which had already been brought on to 
the dock. 

By the time the visitors were ready to depart there was 
absolutely nothing left to be done. The steamer was ready 
for her voyage. Eogers had announced that the engine 
was in perfect running order; the boys were sure that 
everything that was needed was in the cabins; and when 
the last bushel of coal was put on board Captain Sammy 
said that his portion of the work was done. 

All that remained to be done was for the crew to get 
their baggage on board, and Mrs. Evans thought the boys 
had better sleep at the hotel that night, so they could pack, 
during the evening, everything which they wanted to take 
with them. 

But now, as the question of leaving the steamer alone 
came up. Dare remembered Tommy’s half-uttered threat, 
and he begged that at least two of them might remain on 
board, to keep watch against any mischief the ex -pirate 
might attempt to do. 

Captain Sammy growled out something about the fool- 
ishness of ever having taken Master Tucker from Dollar 


TAKING IN STORES. 







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149 


Raising the '''‘Pearir 

Island, and it was plain to be seen that be was not at all 
easy in his mind regarding Tommy’s ability to do barm. 

Mr. Evans seemed to understand that it was not exactly 
safe to leave the steamer alone, and the question of bow 
the difficulty should be avoided had just come up for 
discussion, when Captain Sammy settled the matter by 
saying, 

“ You boys go to the hotel and get what things you want 
to take with you. You can bring them here and sleep 
aboard to-night. I’ll stay here till you come back, an’ if 
that Tucker boy so much as shows his head around here, 
there won’t be enough of him left to get back, or my name 
isn’t Sammy Basset.” 

This plan was carried out, as, in fact, any proposed by 
the captain usually was, and the boys left the hotel two 
hours after, promising to see Mr. and Mrs. Evans on the 
next morning, when they would come down to the pier 
nearly opposite the hotel, in the Pearly on their way to 
the Everglades. 

When they reached the steamer Captain Sammy was 
stumping around at a furious rate in the standing-room aft, 
muttering all sorts of uncomplimentary and threatening 
things against Tommy Tucker, whom he believed he had 
seen skulking around the head of the dock. 

^‘Keep a sharp lookout,” he said as he went on shore. 


150 Raising the '‘'‘Pear IP 

after the boys had come on board, “and if that villain 
comes around here don’t stop to have any talk with him, 
but hang him right up.” 

Then he stumped along up the pier, looking behind and 
around everything large enough to afford shelter to a boy 
of Tommy’s size. 

Dare lighted the swinging lamp that hung in the centre 
of the little cabin, and after they had arranged their belong- 
ings in such a way as to make the place look home-like, 
and with their guns where they could get at them readily, 
the boys went on deck to watch for the approach of the 
pirate. 

But Captain Sammy was either mistaken as to having 
seen Tommy, or the boy had been frightened away when 
the little man made the search of the dock, for no signs 
were seen of him up to ten o’clock, and then the captain 
and crew of the PeaH “ turned in.” 

The novelty of the situation, and the thought that they 
were actually on the steamer which was to take them on 
their famous trip, served to keep them in a state of wake- 
fulness that almost amounted to remaining on watch, and 
it was nearly morning when the last one of them sank into 
a slumber that was disturbed by dreams of all kinds of 
possible and impossible adventures. 

It was hardly daylight when Dare awoke on the follow- 


Raising the ^Rearir 15 1 

ing morning; but he roused up his crew, so that every- 
thing might be put in the neatest trim before the cook 
and engineer arrived. 

The beds were made, the cabins swept again, and every- 
thing on deck disposed of in such a way as to make the 
best show, and by sunrise Captain Sammy made his appear- 
ance at the head of the dock. 

He had evidently counted on finding the boys asleep, 
and had probably enjoyed the anticipation of scolding 
them, as sleepy-heads, for his face showed plainest signs 
of disappointment when he found them up and at work. 

He had brought what he called his “dunnage,” in a 
canvas bag, and, after throwing it carelessly into one of 
the berths, began his official duties by getting the break- 
fast on the stove that stood in one corner of the engine- 
room. 

By the time Tom Kogers arrived the breakfast had been 
eaten, and he and Charley went at once into the engine- 
room. The smoke that soon began to pour out of the 
smoke-stack told that they were getting ready for the start 
as quickly as possible. 

Soon the noise of escaping steam was heard, and no un- 
musical sound ever rang in Dare’s ears so pleasantly as did 
that. 

He took his station in the pilot-house some time before 


152 Raising the ''Pearl” 

it was possible to start, and swung the wheel around in 
anxious expectancy, while Bobby rushed from one end of 
the boat to the other as if he thought the entire business 
devolved on him. 

‘‘Now, keep your eye peeled,” said Captain Sammy to 
Dare, after what had seemed to be a long time of waiting ; 
“ ring the bell once when you are ready. I’ll cast off the 
lines now.” 

Dare sounded the whistle just once, for the sake of hear- 
ing it, Bobby seemed to be lifted right off his feet by the 
music. Captain Sammy cast off the hawsers, and Dare 
pulled the engine-room bell with a vigor that promised to 
snap the wire if repeated. 

Slowly the wheels commenced to revolve, and the Pemrl 
began to glide away from the dock, while from the pilot- 
house, the bow, and the engine-room sounded a shout of 
joy and triumph. 

Dare’s head almost swam with delight as the little 
steamer went ahead at full speed, and Captain Sammy took 
up his station just in front of the pilot-house to assure him- 
self that the young captain was not entirely incapacitated 
for duty by excitement. 

On approaching the pier, at which he was to say 
adieu to his parents. Dare sounded the whistle until 
he saw his father and mother come out of the house. 


Raising the "Rearir 153 

and then he turned his attention to making a creditable 
landing. 

Captain Sammy contented himself by simply watching 
Dare’s proceedings, ready to take command if necessary, 
but allowing the boy to act on his own responsibility so 
long as he was managing the craft properly. 

Mr. and Mrs. Evans were already on the pier when Dare 
rang the first bell to “ slow down,” and when the Pea/rl 
was taken along-side the wharf almost as skilfully as an 
experienced captain would have done it, both his father 
and Captain Sammy expressed to Dare their appreciation 
of his skill in managing the steamer. 

The stay here was not a long one, for all hands were 
anxious to be as far on their journey as possible before 
night, since it had been decided that, unless it was abso- 
lutely necessary, the Pearl not be run after dark, 

thereby lessening the risks and labor. 

Dare proposed to take his father and mother out for a 
short sail, but Mr. Evans refused, adding, however, that if 
the invitation was given after the return from the Ever- 
glades it might be accepted. 

Then the “ good-byes ” were spoken, the boys were cau- 
tioned to obey Captain Sammy implicitly. Dare went into 
the pilot-house again, and everything was ready for the 
actual beginning of the voyage. 


154 


Raising the "Rearir ' 

The bell was rung for the engine to be started, the 
whistle sounded as a parting salute, and when the wheels 
began to revolve, and the Pea/rl sailed swiftly away, the 
trip to the Everglades had begun. 


Raising the '‘'‘Pearll 


155 


Chaptee XIV. 


CORAL REEFS. 

was all plain sailing before the Pea/rl^ and 
only necessary for her captain to keep her headed 
straight down the bay. When they were well clear 
of the land Tom Kogers tested the speed of the 
little craft by putting on all steam, until it seemed as if 
she .flew along the top of the water, rather than in it, and 
Charley and Bobby in the bow, where they could have a 
full view during this trial of speed, could hardly control 
their joy. 

Dare was quite as much excited as they were, but he 
concealed it in his desire to appear as grave and dignifled 
as he thought the captain of a steamboat ought to appear. 

Down Hillsboro’ Bay the Peml raced, and after about 
two hours of the exciting sport Captain Sammy explained 
that they had reached Tampa Bay, which accounted for the 
increased roughness of the water. 

Mangrove Point, at the mouth of Little Manatee Kiver, 
was passed, and then Dare steered the Pearl as near to the 


156 Raising the '‘Rearir 

little chain of reefs as he dared to go, heading her directly 
for Mullet Key as he began to leave them astern. 

Captain Sammy left his position of lookout to resume 
the duties of cook, and when the yacht was nearly opposite 
Seminole, Charley, Bobby, and the cook had a nicely served 
dinner of fried fresh fish and plenty of vegetables. 

Then the little captain, with the aid of the boys, spread 
the table again, and sent Charley to relieve Rogers while 
he took Dare’s place in the pilot-house, so the captain and 
engineer had their dinner. 

Bobby had been appointed dish-washer, and he waited 
upon this second table with veiy little skill and at the ex- 
pense of two plates, which he broke through attempting to 
take them from the stove when they were so hot as to burn 
his fingers. 

When Dare went into the pilot-house again the course of 
the yacht had been changed, and she was running down 
between Ana Maria or Palm Key and the main-land. 

“I guess we’ll lay up in Sarasota Bay to-night,” said 
Captain Sammy. “It’s about the half-way place to the 
mouth of the Caloosahatchee River, and there isn’t any 
need of rushing any.” 

Dare was perfectly willing to come to an anchor any- 
where the little man thought proper, and Captain Sammy 
took up his position in the bow again, in order that he 


Raising the ''Pearls 157 

might direct the course of the yacht through the net-work 
of small keys and reefs that marked the entrance to Sara- 
sota Bay. 

The sun was still quite high in the heavens when the 
Pearl dashed along merrily into the waters of the bay, and 
came to anchor just inside a jutting point of land that 
formed a snug harbor, and not more than a quarter of a 
mile from the shore. 

Outside, seeming to shut out the waters of the Gulf from 
the bay, could be seen Long Boat, Sarasota, and Long Keys, 
as if standing sentinel over the beautiful body of water 
that formed the bay. 

All hands “ turned to ” under the little captain’s orders 
to make everything snug for the night, and when that 
was done he said, in his gruffest and most commanding 
tones, 

‘‘Kow, then, if you boys are goin’ ashore, you want to 
do it now, for your father told me that you was goin’ to 
find out all about how the reefs was made before you 
got back, an’ I want you to tell me the whole story to- 
night.” 

The boys were greatly surprised at this command, for 
as yet they had had no time to learn anything of the for- 
mation of the reefs, and, of course, were unable to give 
Captain Sammy the slightest information. 


158 Raising the ""Pearir 

Dare managed to say, however, that they would go 
ashore for a short time, but that they could hardly tell 
anything about reefs. 

Captain Sammy made no reply, but busied himself with 
his canvas bag, and the boys started for the shore in the 
little tender. 

There was very little that was interesting to be seen on 
the shores of Sarasoto Bay, and the boys returned to the 
yacht before the hour had passed ; but, quickly as they had 
returned, they found supper waiting for them, Captain 
Sammy and Rogers having already had theirs. 

When they had finished eating, and helped Bobby in his 
work of clearing up, they filed into the forward cabin, look- 
ing rather mournful, because they were apparently expected 
to recite a lesson they had never learned. 

It was quite evident that some considerable preparation 
had been made for their reception, for the cabin table was 
covered with books, and, seated behind it, with his longest 
pipe in his mouth, and a pair of cracked spectacles on his 
nose, was Captain Sammy, assuming all the airs and graces 
of a country school-teacher of the olden days. 

“ Sit down and be quiet,” said Captain Sammy, glaring 
at them as if he suspected they intended to disobey him. 

The boys did as they were commanded, although Bobby 
was so awed that he only occupied a very small portion of 


Raising the ^'‘Pearir 159 

his chair, and that directly on the edge, as if he believed it 
might be necessary for him to run away at any moment. 

“]^ow, then,” said Captain Sammy, sternly, ^‘what are 
we come together here for 

The boys were almost too much surprised to speak. 
They had come there because the little captain had or- 
dered them to come, and surely he knew that. 

“Don’t know, do ye? Of course you don’t, so there’s 
no need of my askin’ the question. Did I say you was to 
tell me what caused the Florida reefs, the like of which 
can’t be found anywhere else in the country ?” 

“ Yes, sir,” replied Dare ; “ but we don’t know, and it is 
just what we would like you to tell us.” 

“ Why didn’t you look at them an’ find out as we was 
cornin’ along?” asked the little man, with a suppressed, 
chuckle, as if he was having a. great joke all by himself. 

“ I don’t think the keys look different from any island,” 
said Dare, who now almost began to think that Captain 
Sammy knew no more about the matter than they did. 

“That’s just because you don’t know anything about 
it,” said the little man, triumphantly. 

Inasmuch as the boys quite agreed with him in this asser- 
tion, they said nothing, and he was disappointed, if he had 
thought he was going to provoke any argument. 

“Now listen to me;” and Captain Sammy straightened 


i6o Raising the "'Pearir 

himself up, in order that his words might be more impres- 
sive. “ I know all about it without any book, but I’ll just 
keep one in mj hand as I go along, for since my eyesight’s 
got so bad I can’t hold on to some of these names as I used 
to. In the first place, the Florida reefs don’t run up the 
coast this way, though some folks hold that all the keys 
and reefs along the coast should be reckoned in with ’em ; 
but in that I have my opinion, and you can have yours. 
The Florida reef, the way we call it down here, starts from 
a leetle north of Cape Florida, an’ runs some miles beyond 
Key West. All that is one big bank of coral, with here 
an’ there spots where it’s been built high enough to come 
atop of the water, an’ then the sand washes up on it, the 
mangrove-trees grow, an’ then they’re keys, like them you 
can see out there in the offing.” 

Captain Sammy stopped long enough to assure himself 
that the boys were paying strict attention, and then con- 
tinued : 

“ The reef runs in a regular curve, croppin’ out just a 
little here an’ there, from Yirginia Key, which is next to 
Cape Florida — an’ everybody knows the cape is on Key 
Biscay ne — to a leetle west of the Marquesas, where it opens 
up in Beef Channel an’ Key West harbor. Then it runs 
nigh on to sixty miles sou’-sou’-west, an’ then about a hun- 
dred an’ forty miles west-sou’-west — perhaps a leetle more 


Raising the 'Rearli' i6i 

westerly ; but that’s neither here nor there. Then for about 
thirty miles it runs west-nor’-west, taking in the Tortugas. 
Now, you keep them pints of the compass in your mind, in 
case you should ever want to coast around that way, an’ 
you an’ I won’t have any trouble.” 

Captain Sammy glared over his glasses, in order to learn 
if there was any chance of trouble then ; and finding that 
there was none, he said, solemnly, 

“ Now, of course, these reefs are bein’ built all the time, 
an’ what you wants to know is how that’s done. Here goes 
for the way these scholars put it, an’ you can have your 
’pinion ’bout it, an’ I can have mine. A reef is a regular 
limestone wall that a little animal they call a polyp builds, 
by sucking in the water that has got lime in it, and throw- 
ing the lime out on to the places where they want to 
build. These leetle animals can’t work where the water’s 
more’n fifteen fathom deep, so, you see, they have to curve 
around just as the land curves. Now, they go to work an’ 
build great knobs — coral-heads, we sailors call ’em — all the 
way around in this fifteen fathom of water, an’ they keep 
piling’ ’em up till they are about six fathom from the sur- 
face. Then they stop, for they’re sharp, these little polyps 
are, and they know that they can’t work when they come 
just so near the surface. Then another kind, pretty near 
like them, that can’t work except in shallow water, come 

11 


i 62 


Raising the ^'‘Pearir 

along an’ build on top the coral -heads another kind of 
stone. Then the third sort of little fellows conoe an’ put 
on the finishing touches just at the top of the water, mak- 
ing the coral that fine and delicate that it looks like leaves 
an’ grass.” 

The little man stopped only long enough to wipe his 
glasses, and then continued : 

“ISTow, you see, this reef is a regular limestone wall, 
straight up an’ down to seaward, an’ slopin’ toward the 
land. Well, in time the waves grind the coral that’s on 
the top into sand ; then the mud that’s in the water washes 
up, and, take everything together, it makes tolerable good 
soil. All the mangrove-trees around about shed the most 
part of their seeds in the water, because, you see, growing 
over it, they can’t help themselves, and the seeds fioat 
around till some of them get washed up on to these reefs. 
Once they get into that sand they grow, and that settles it 
so far as the reefs go, for then folks or turtles can live on 
’em, and they’re keys. Now, that’s the way the books have 
it that the reefs and keys are made ; and if I should happen 
to have a different opinion to that, you see, you ain’t bound 
to take it that I’m right, because you an’ I never had a 
reg’lar introduction to each other.” 

The boys were at a loss to understand how the want 
of an introduction could affect a fact, and they urged Cap- 


Raising the "Rearir 163 

tain Sammy to give them his idea of the formation of the 
reefs, or, at least, to tell them how it differed from that 
which he had stated as coming from “ books.” 

But the little man was so decided in his refusals, and so 
guarded in his replies to any of the questions intended to 
draw him out, that they soon came to the conclusion that 
his opinions did not differ in aiiy way from those of the 
authorities he had quoted. 

‘‘ You see, there’s a good deal more about this end of 
this snug little State that you ought to know,” said Captain 
Sammy, as he laid aside his pipe, which had long since 
“ gone out,” took off his glasses, and closed his book with a 
bang that caused the boys to jump ; “ but I sha’n’t tell you 
about it now, for it will keep until we run on to it ; and, 
besides, I want you to go to bed now, so we can make an 
early start in the morning.” 

By the way Captain Sammy spoke the boys knew that 
there was no use in trying to prolong the conversation, 
and they crept into their berths, feeling that an hour after 
sunset was altogether too early to go to bed on the first day 
of the cruise. 


Raising the ^Rearli 


164 


Chapter XV. 



THE NIGHT ALARM. 

’ VEX though the boys did think that there was 
no need of their going to bed so soon, just because 
they were to start at an early hour in the morning, 
every one of them was asleep in less than ten min- 
utes after they had rolled into their berths. 

Tom Rogers slept in the engine-room, and he had retired 
before Captain Sammy finished his rather long-winded 
lecture on coral reefs ; therefore, as soon as the boys were 
asleep the little man was left entirely without companion- 
ship. 

He tried to read, but, owing to the crack in the glasses 
of his spectacles and the rather dim light in the cabin, he 
was forced to give up the attempt. Then he went on deck, 
examined the anchor cable, to see that it did not chafe the 
wood-work; took a squint at the lantern, to make sure it 
was in the proper position ; and, having nothing else to do, 
went to bed also. 

The Pearl lay as motionless as if she were still high and 


Raising the ^Rearir 165 

dry on the beach at Tampa, and there appeared to be no 
reason whatever why all hands should not have a pleasant 
and quiet night’s rest. The night was cold enough to 
make the warmth of the bedclothes feel comfortable to the 
occupants of the cabin, but not so cold as to prevent the 
cabin-door from being left open, to admit a free circulation 
of air. 

It seemed to Dare that it must have been midnight, 
when he was awakened by hearing Captain Sammy shout, 
angrily, 

‘‘Now, what are you about? Why don’t you lie still and 
give other folks a chance to sleep ?” 

Of course Dare supposed that Charley or Bobby had got 
out of his berth ; so, without seeing any one, he asked, 

“ Who is it ? What are you up for ?” 

“I’m not up. What are you doing?” replied Captain 
Sammy ; and it was easy to tell by the tones of his voice 
that he was irritated by Dare’s question. 

“I’m not doing anything. You awakened me when you 
spoke,” replied Dare, in an injured tone. 

“Then it’s one of the other boys, and I do wish they 
knew enough to let other people sleep.” 

Bobby had the berth directly above Captain Sammy, 
and Charley slept in the one above Dare; therefore the 
latter put his hand up to his brother’s berth, in order 


1 66 Raising the '‘Rearir 

to learn if it was he who had disturbed the little man’s 
repose. 

But Charley was not the one who had broken the quiet 
of the cabin, for as Dare touched his face he cried out, 
loudly, 

‘‘ Don’t fool ; let a fellow alone, can’t you 

‘‘Don’t fool!” echoed Captain Sammy, unable to see 
what was going on, and supposing Charley was the culprit 
who had awakened him. “ It’s no foolin’ matter to kick 
up such a row in the night, and I’ll let you know that I’m 
not foolin’.” 

“What — what — what’s the matter?” asked Charley, in 
surprise. 

“ What’s the matter ?” roared Captain Sammy, growing 
so angry that he tried to sit upright in his berth, and hit 
his head against the boards above him with a thump that 
startled Bobby. “I want to know what you’re skylarkin’ 
round for at this time of night ?” 

“ I ain’t skylarking,” said Bobby, roused from his sleep 
by the thumping of the little man’s head against the berth, 
and thinking, of course, that he was spoken to. “Was I 
snoring, sir?” 

“ Hold your tongue until you are spoken to. How an- 
swer my question.” 

Of course he intended the latter portion of his remark 


Raising the ''Pearir 167 

for one of the other boys; but how could Bobby know 
this, having just awakened? and he asked, innocently, 

“What question, sir?” 

you hold your tongue?” shrieked the little cap- 
tain ; and Bobby answered, meekly, 

“ Yes, sir.” 

All three of the boys now began to think that some 
dreadful thing had happened, and that one of the others 
was responsible for it, while Captain Sammy, in such a 
towering rage that he could not explain himself, made mat- 
ters worse by asking the question, without calling any one 
by name. 

“ Now, see if you have got sense enough left to tell me 
what you were parading around the cabin for at this time 
of night.” 

Fearing to offend by answering when they were not 
spoken to, and each knowing that he was and had been 
quietly remaining in his berth, no one replied. 

“ Why don’t you answer me ?” shouted Captain Sammy, 
as he sprang out of his berth, with a great deal of unneces- 
sary noise, and proceeded to light the lamp. 

“ Who are you speaking to ?” asked Dare, almost begin- 
ning to think the captain had lost his senses. 

“Why, you, of course; who else should I speak to?” 
cried the little man, as he tried in vain to ignite the match. 


1 68 Raising the '‘Rearir 

“ I haven’t been out of bed since I got into it,” replied 
Dare, gravely. 

There was perfect silence in the cabin for a moment, 
during which Captain Sammy succeeded in lighting the 
lamp, and then he angrily surveyed the cabin. 

Each one of the boys was in bed, and there were no 
evidences of their having been up since they first went to 
sleep. 

Captain Sammy had hopped out of bed on one leg ; and 
now, after seeing what seemed to be proof that the boys 
had been doing nothing worse than sleeping soundly, he 
hopped back to his berth, strapped on his wooden stick, 
and stumped out to the engine-room, where the boys could 
hear him accusing Eogers of having come in to disturb the 
sleep of the occupants of the cabin. 

Eogers stoutly denied having done anything of the 
kind, but scolded at the little man for having awakened 
him, when he had probably been dreaming of a disturb- 
ance. 

Captain Sammy growled out some inaudible reply, and 
came back into the cabin looking less angry and more mys- 
tified than when he left it. 

“ I may have been dreaming,” he said, in a half explana- 
tory way ; ‘‘ but it don’t seem as if a dream could be so 
real. I was certain that one of you boys was creeping 


IT S ME— TOMMY TUCKER— AH I M AWFUL HUNGRY 








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Raising the ^Rearir 171 

along by the side of my berth, and I made sure you was 
up to some mischief.” 

Each of the boys insisted that they had been awakened 
by Captain Sammy, and had had no idea of anything 
but sleeping, which assertion the little man was forced to 
believe. 

He extinguished the lamp and got into bed, insisting 
that he did hear some one, although the proof he had 
should have convinced him that he was mistaken. 

It was some time after this before any of the occu- 
pants of the cabin could get to sleep; but after a while 
they dropped off into slumber, until Dare was the only 
one awake. He could hear the regular breathing of 
the boys, and Captain Sammy’s vigorous snoring, all of 
which caused him to feel like joining them in their 
slumber. 

Just as his eyes were closing, and he had nearly yielded 
to the influence, he was conscious of a rustling sound, as if 
some one was moving near him. 

He turned over quickly in alarm, and was about to cry 
out, when a hand was laid over his mouth, and the intruder 
whispered softly in his ear, 

“ It’s me — Tommy Tucker — an’ I’m awful hungry.” 

Dare was so surprised that he could not have spoken 
even if Tommy’s hand had not been over his mouth. He 


172 


Raising the ^Rearir 

understood now that Captain Sammy had really heard 
some one in the cabin, but how it could possibly be 
Tommy Tucker was more than he could make out He 
was trying to understand it all, when the boy whispered 
again, 

“ Pm awful hungry.” 

“ But how did you get here ?” Dare asked, in a cautious 
whisper, as soon as he could remove Tommy’s hand from 
his mouth. 

“ I hid under Captain Sammy’s berth this morning when 
you was all eatin’ your breakfast. I didn’t know he was 
cornin’ with you, an’ I knew he wouldn’t let me come if he 
knew it, so I thought I’d hide there till you started. I’ve 
been in that little mite of a place since mornin’, an’ I’m 
most dead.” 

Even in his whispered conversation it was easy to tell 
that Master Tucker was thoroughly disheartened ; but how 
to aid him was an entirely different matter. 

“We shall have to tell him you are here,” said Dare, 
after a long pause. 

“Ho, no, don’t do that; he’d just about kill me. I’d 
rather starve than have him know it. Can’t you get me a 
cracker or something, and shove it under the berth ?” 

“ I don’t dare to now ; but I will the first thing in the 
morning.” 


173 


Raising the ^Rearir 

“Be as early as you cau,” whispered the hungry pi- 
rate, and then he crept cautiously back to his hiding- 
place ; while Dare lay and wondered how it would be pos- 
sible to keep Tommy’s presence a secret until he could 
be landed. 


174 


Raising the '‘'‘Pearli 


Chapter XVI. 



UNSUCCESSFUL PLOTTING. 

might be expected, Dare was in a very unenvia- 
ble frame of mind regarding Tommy’s presence 
on the Pearl, He knew that the proper thing 
for him to do was to tell the little man the exact 
state of the case, and not attempt to deceive him in any 
way. But he feared to do this, because of the conse- 
quences to the pirate. 

Captain Sammy was justly angry with Tommy for hav- 
ing wrecked the boat, and there was no doubt but that he 
would inflict some terrible punishment upon him because 
of it in case he should meet him. If he should know that 
Tommy had secreted himself on board the Pearly thinking 
to take a pleasant trip in the steamer without the knowl- 
edge of its owner, the little man would be still more in- 
censed, and thoughts of the revenge he might take made 
Dare shudder. 

To his mind it would have been the very extreme of 
cruelty to expose Tommy’s presence to the man whom he . 


Raising the ^Rearir 175 

had wronged, and yet he was unable to ’form any plan 
which he thought would be likely to succeed for secretly 
putting the boy on shore. 

. It was a long time before he could get to sleep that 
night, and even then he awoke at short intervals, his fears 
'being so great that sleep could not overcome them. 

It could not be possible that Tommy, the boy who had 
voluntarily brought Captain Sammy’s wrath upon his head, 
and who had for the second time placed himself in his 
enemy’s power, suffered nearly as much that night as did 
Dare, who was perfectly innocent. 

When daylight came Dare was the first to respond to the 
little man’s call, but he could not look him fully in the face, 
because of the knowledge that he was deceiving him, and 
the fear that his secret could be read in his countenance. 

Dare was anxious to tell the other boys of Tommy’s 
presence there; but it seemed as if Captain Sammy was 
trying to prevent him from getting an opportunity to speak 
with them, for at no time, during the work of getting un- 
der way, could he find a chance to speak with either one 
of his companions alone. 

He did succeed, however, in throwing some bread and 
cold meat under the berth where Tommy lay concealed, 
but he had no chance to speak to the self-made prisoner. 

The fire in the furnace had been banked on the night 


176 Raising the Pearl!' 

before, and the’ work of getting up steam occupied but a 
short time ; in fact, so quickly was it done, that the little 
craft was ploughing her way through the waters of Sara- 
sota Bay before Captain Sammy had breakfast ready. 

That meal was eaten, as was the dinner the day before, 
first by the little captain, Charley, and Bobby, and then by 
Rogers and Dare. 

It was during this meal, and while the little man was in 
the pilot-house, that Dare hoped to be able to tell one or 
both of his companions of what he had learned ; but he did 
not dare to trust Rogers with the secret, and he could not 
speak to either of the boys without danger that the engi- 
neer would overhear him. 

After Dare took up his position in the pilot-house again 
Captain Sammy remained in the bow, even though the 
channel was so deep and wide that there was no necessity 
for his directing the helmsman, and it seemed to the anx- 
ious Dare that he was on the lookout for something. 

Through the bay, past Sarasota Key to Chaise’s Key, the 
little steamer continued her course in what might have 
been called an inside channel; but here the water-way, 
protected by keys, came to an end, and the yacht was run 
through Casey Pass to the clear waters of the Gulf. 

Then the course was down past the coast, within about 
a mile of the shore; and when they had run for a few 


Raising the 'Rearir 177 

miles Captain Sammy surprised Dare greatly by telling 
him to give the signal to stop the engine. 

Wonderingly Dare obeyed. Then, when the little steam- 
er lay almost motionless on the water, the little man ex- 
plained to Dare and the other boys, who had come rushing 
out in the greatest excitement to learn the meaning of the 
sudden stop : 

“ I want to try and get a turtle or two, so that we can 
change our bill of fare a little, and I reckon we sha’n’t have 
to row around here very long without finding one.” 

Then he ordered the tender made ready, while he went 
below and took, from right in front of where Tommy was 
lying in fear and trembling, a single-pronged harpoon that 
he had stowed away there. 

While he was below Dare had an opportunity of telling 
Charley and Bobby, in a very hurried way, of the cause of 
the previous night’s disturbance. 

Their surprise — and, in Bobby’s case, fear — was written 
so plainly on their faces when Captain Sammy came on 
deck, that it was a wonder he did not suspect something 
was wrong. He probably would have done so had he not 
been so deeply engaged in the business of getting a turtle 
for dinner. 

It was while Captain Sammy was making the boat ready 
that a sudden thought occurred to Dare. If he could 

12 


1 78 Raising the Pearl!' 

arrange matters so that Rogers and Bobby should go in 
the boat with Captain Sammy, there would be a possibility 
that he might, in case the chase led the party any distance 
from the steamer, run the Pearl in close to land, and set 
Tommy ashore. 

Of course he had no idea what the boy would do there, 
so far from home ; his only thought was to get him out of 
the dangerous position in which he had placed himself. 

“ Now, who’s going with me ? I can’t take but two and 
Captain Sammy looked around, as if he expected that each 
one would be eager to accompany him. 

Dare had no idea of going if he could avoid it, and 
Charley and Bobby were so dazed by the strange news 
they had heard, that they paid no attention to the question. 

It was while all three stood silent that Rogers said, 

“ I should like to go, if the boys don’t care to, for it has 
been some time since I have been on that kind of a lark.” 

“ You can, of course ; but I thought the boys would be 
just crazy for it,” said Captain Sammy, in surprise at the 
indifference displayed by the crew. 

Dare realized that it was necessary for him to say some- 
thing, in order that their singular behavior might not ex- 
cite suspicion, and he said, in a hesitating way, 

“ If you would take Mr. Rogers and Bobby with you it 
would give Charley and me a chance to see how we could 


Raising the 'Rear IP 179 

handle the steamer alone, and we could come after you 
whenever you were ready to come on board.’’ 

“All right,” said the little man, as he motioned the 
others to get into the boat ; but it was quite plainly to be 
seen that he thought the affair very strange, despite this 
apparently plausible excuse. 

As soon as the boat left the steamer Dare and Charley 
went below, where they found the pirate had already 
emerged from his concealment, and was in the engine- 
room, eating at a rapid rate. From his hiding-place he had 
heard the conversation on deck, and, as soon as the sounds 
told that the small boat had started, he made a frantic rush 
for the eatables. 

In a brief, hurried way Dare told Tommy what he pro- 
posed to do, and asked him if he would be willing to go on 
shore at any point where it would be possible to land him. 

“ I’ll go anywhere, no matter what kind of a place it is, 
jest so’s I’m clear of him,” said Tommy, speaking rather 
indistinctly, because of the quantity of food in his mouth. 

Thus assured that the party whom they wanted to aid 
was willing to be helped, the boys went on deck, in order 
that they might keep watch of the boat, so as to take the 
first opportunity of landing the fugitive. 

They could see Captain Sammy standing in the bow of 
the tender, with his harpoon raised ready for throwing, as 


i8o Raising the ^Rearl” 

if he already saw his prey, while Bobby and Rogers were 
steadily pulling away from the Pearl. 

“If they keep on at that rate it won’t be long be- 
fore we can get Tommy ashore,” said Dare, with a feel- 
ing of relief. “You go into the engine-room, so as to 
be all ready, and I will give the signal the moment it is 
safe.” 

Charley did as he was requested, and Dare went into 
the pilot-house. Five minutes later he rang the bell to 
go ahead. 

The little boat was fully a mile and a half in advance of 
the steamer, and it seemed certain that they could reach 
the shore without their intentions being discovered until 
after it was too late to capture Tommy. 

“ Don’t run too fast at first,” shouted Dare through the 
speaking-tube. “I’ll follow them a little way, and when 
I head her for the shore you put all steam on.” 

“ Ay, ay !” shouted Charley in return, and Dare devoted 
all his attention to steering the Pearl in such a way as to 
make it appear that he was only sailing for the pleasure of 
the thing. 

Suddenly he saw Captain Sammy throw the harpoon, 
and in another moment the boat dashed ahead with in- 
creased speed, showing that the iron was fast in a turtle, 
which was dragging the boat along at a rapid rate. 


SUDDENLY HE SAW CAPTAIN SAMMY THROW THE HARPOON 






Raising the 'Rearir 183 

It seemed to Dare that the time had come for him to 
put his plan into execution, and he headed the boat directly 
for the shore. 

“ Now start her up !” he shouted to Charley, and an in- 
stant after the little craft leaped through the water at a 
rate which told that every ounce of steam had been applied. 

For just one moment, and only one, Dare felt sure that 
he would be successful. Then Captain Sammy’s boat was 
whirled suddenly around, as if the turtle had made up his 
mind to travel in another direction, and dashed along 
within fifty yards of the shore at right angles with the 
course of the Pearl. 

“ Slow down !” Dare shouted to Charley ; and as the 
steamer’s speed was slackened he saw Captain Sammy 
waving his hand for him to approach. 

“It’s all up now!” shouted Dare to the engine-room, 
“ Captain Sammy’s coming right for us, and you’ll have to 
hide Tommy again.” 

Between turtle-power and steam-power the two boats 
came together very rapidly, and by the time they were 
within hailing distance Captain Sammy succeeded in pass- 
ing a rope around one of the turtle’s fiippers, and thus 
making him a prisoner. 

“ You did the thing just right,” said Captain Sammy, as 
he came on board, “and if you should go turtling all the 


184 


Raising the ^RearR 

rest of your life you never could handle a boat as near right 
as you have this one.” 

But Dare thought that he had done anything else but 
handle the boat correctly, and again his fears beset him 
lest Captain Sammy should take it into his head to look 
under his berth. 


Raising the '"Pearli 


)) 


185 


Chapter XVII. 



ABOUT TURTLES. 

^ was a huge turtle which Captain Sammy had 
captured, and when it was pulled in aboard of the 
Pearl its jaws opened and shut with a snap as it 
bit furiously at everything near it. Bobby was sure 
it weighed three or four hundred pounds, but Captain 
Sammy insisted that one-half of that sum would be about 
the correct figure, and as the weight was being discussed it 
occurred to him that the boys deserved a bit of a lecture 
on turtles. 

“ Xow,” said Captain Sammy, assuming the same learned 
air he had worn during the talk about reefs, “ what I want 
you to tell me is, what kind of a turtle that is.” 

Up to this time the boys hardly knew that there was 
more than one species of turtles, and, with some hesitation. 
Dare confessed as much. 

“ Why, you boys don’t know nothin’ at all — nothin’ at 
all !” cried Captain Sammy, in tones of disdain. “ Thought 
there wasn’t but one kind of turtle, eh ? an’ you claim to 


1 86 Raising the ^RearC 

have been brought up among civilized creeters! What 
was your father thinkin’ of, and how did he expect you 
was goin’ to earn your own livin’, if you didn’t know any- 
thin’ about turtles ?” 

Dare was on the point of saying that, inasmuch as they 
did not intend to become turtle-fishers, save for the few 
months they were in Florida, such knowledge was not of 
vital importance, although it might be useful. But he 
checked himself, and said instead, 

“ How many kinds are there, sir ?” 

“ There’s a good many kinds, and you ought to have 
known it,” replied Captain Sammy, solemnly. “ There’s 
the hawksbill, for instance, that what is called the tortoise- 
shell comes from, an’ there used to be a good many of them 
around here. They are the ones that only lay two sets of 
eggs — one in July, and one in August; and then they lay 
about one hundred and fifty at a time, or three hundred 
in all. Then there is the green turtle, and I’ve seen one 
that weighed over five hundred pounds; some folks say 
they do go as high as seven hundred, but about that you 
can have your opinion and I’ll have mine. Green turtles 
commence with the egg business in May, spawning in that 
month and in June, and averaging about eighty eggs each 
time. That’s the kind of turtles that make the best eat- 
ing. Then there’s a kind called the loggerhead — that’s 


Raismg the Pearl!' 187 

great on eggs ; she lays three sets, at about the same time 
the green turtle does, and when she gets through with her 
work she’s laid five hundred. The trunk turtle ain’t so 
far behind, although she only lays about three hundred and 
fifty eggs in the season.” 

The boys almost forgot their pirate under the berth in 
their surprise at the great number of eggs one turtle could 
lay, and they were about to ask some questions regarding 
the manner in which the eggs were deposited, when the 
little man continued: 

“The loggerhead and trunk turtles are mighty savage 
creeters, and run a good deal larger in size than the others 
do ; they lay their eggs anywhere around here. The green 
turtle is more shy, and she gets off where there isn’t so 
much of a chance that any one will find her eggs ; but I 
have known her to come right up on the coast here to 
make her nest. The hawksbill is the one that takes good 
care no one shall find her out, and when she wants to 
lay eggs she gets ’way off on the smallest keys. It’s my 
opinion,” and now Captain Sammy looked very wise, “ that 
turtles are mighty knowing animals. I don’t go so far as 
to say that they know jest what you are talking about, but 
they come pretty near it.” 

“ How do they make their nests, sir ?” asked Dare. 

“How, that’s where their cupning comes in,” said the 


i88 


Raising the '‘Rearir 


little man, earnestly. “They don’t come out till high- 
water on a moonlight night, and they know when it’s high- 
water as well as I do. They go up just above the highest 
point of the tide, and scoop out a nest with their flippers 
in the sand. Then they commence to lay their eggs, doing 
it very quickly, and when they’ve done they cover them 
over with sand and go back into the water again. The sun 
hatches the eggs, you know, and when the little turtles 
come out they make a bee-line for the water. They ain’t 
more than an inch long, and the birds gobble up as many 
of them as they can before they get into the sea.” 

“How deep are the nests?” asked Charley, wondering 
whether they might not remain there until it was time 
to hunt for. such nests full of eggs as the captain had 
described. 

“ About a foot and a half deep, and it only takes the old 
turtle about ten minutes to All it.” 

“ How, what kind of a turtle is this one ?” asked Dare, 
pointing to the enormous fellow who was snapping sav- 
agely at everything near him. 

“ That ? Why, that’s a loggerhead, of course, and you 
ought to know it after all this talk,” cried Captain Sammy, 
impatiently ; and then, as if he had just noticed that the 
steamer had not started again, he shouted, “ What do you 
mean by loaflng around here? Get on at once, for, if 


Raising the "Rearir 189 

nothing happens, we must anchor off Punta Eassa to- 
night.” 

Dare rushed to the pilot-house, Eogers and Charley went 
to the engine-room, and Bobby was forced to help Captain 
Sammy in the preparation of turtle-soup for dinner. 

Then the little craft dashed on through the water again, 
the captain coming out to give some directions as to the 
course when they were off Gasparilla Pass, and disappear- 
ing again until Gasparilla Island was left astern and the 
Pearl was off Boca Grande. 

When he came on deck this time it was to summon Dare 
to dinner ; and while the crew of the Pearl had turtle-soup 
the imprisoned pirate was forced to eat crackers, since soup 
could hardly be thrown to him under the berth. 

When Dare went on deck they were just passing La- 
costa Island, and Captain Sammy seated himself in the 
bow again. 

Then Boca Captiva and Captiva Island were left astern, 
until, quite late in the afternoon, Sanibel Island was 
reached. The yacht swung gracefully around Point Ybel, 
up past Fort Dulany, and into San Carlos Harbor, anchor- 
ing off Punta Eassa a short time after nightfall. 


Raising the '‘Rearli 


190 


Chapter XVIII. 



UP THE CALOOSAHATCHEE. 

T was at Punta Rassa that Tom Rogers was to 
leave the Pearl, and Charley to take his place at 
the engine ; and that night, while Captain Sammy 
was on deck, making everything fast and snug. 
Dare found an opportunity of whispering to Tommy that 
he hoped to get him ashore in the morning. 

A mail-steamer made weekly trips between Punta Rassa, 
Tampa, and Cedar Keys, and it was very probable that 
Tommy could beg a passage upon her, if he could not in- 
duce Rogers to take him ; therefore it seemed to be of the 
highest importance that the pirate should leave the Pearl 
at that point. 

Under pretence of wanting to remain on deck awhile 
after Captain Sammy had finished his work there, the three 
boys secured an opportunity of discussing the matter ; and 
many and varied were the plans offered and rejected by 
which it would be possible to steal Tommy Tucker from 
under the very nose of his enemy. 


Raising the '‘Rearir 19 1 

Of course, if Captain Sammy should take it into his head 
to go on shore the next morning, then everything would 
be as simple as a bow on a hat-band; but the boys had 
every reason to believe, from what they had heard him say, 
that it was his intention to land Kogers at a very early 
hour in the morning, and then push directly up the river, 
in order to reach Fort Simmons by sunset. 

“Can’t he swim ashore?” asked Bobby, after almost 
every other way had been discussed. 

“ Of course not,” replied Dare. “ There are sharks and 
alligators both around here, as thick as the mosquitoes, and 
he would go where Captain Sammy’s leg went before you 
could count five.” 

“Well,” said Charley, with a sigh of resignation, “it 
won’t do any good to sit here all night talking about it. 
We’d better go to bed now, so as to be up as early as any 
one else in the morning.” 

Charley’s advice was good, and all hands followed it, so 
far as going to bed went; but the mosquitoes interfered 
sadly with their attempts to sleep. It seemed as if there 
were perfect swarms of those musical little insects in the 
cabin, and Dare thought the pirate was being punished 
severely by being obliged to remain in the small space 
under the berth and refrain from making a noise. 

It would have been impossible for the prisoner to have 


192 


Raising the '"'Pearl-'' 

moved around the cabin any that night, for Captain Sam- 
my was up and down like a Jack-in-a-box, and the first 
move would have been sure to result in detection. 

At last the boys dropped ofi to sleep one by one ; and 
when they awakened again Captain Sammy was in the 
engine-room preparing Kogers’s breakfast, so that he could 
get on shore very early. 

If Dare had counted on Charley’s assistance in getting 
rid of their troublesome passenger, he was disappointed, 
for Rogers called him into the engine-room as soon as he 
was up, and kept him there, giving additional orders and 
instructions relative to the working of the engine. 

While Dare was in the cabin, on the alert to every move 
Captain Sammy made, he saw Tommy’s head cautiously 
protruded from under the berth, and heard the unhappy 
pirate- whisper, 

“You’ll be certain to get me out of this to-day, won’t 
you ?” 

“I’ll do the best I can,” replied Dare, bending low over 
the berth, that no one should hear his whisper ; “ but I 
don’t see how it’s to be done.” 

“I shall die if I have to stay here any longer, I know 
I shall, for it’s just awful,” and the two tears that rolled 
down the pirate’s cheeks attested to the fact of his suf- 
fering. 


193 


Raising the 'RearC 

There was no time for Dare to express his sympathy, for 
Captain Sammy entered the cabin just then, and Tommy 
withdrew his head so quickly that he hit it a terrible 
thump on the berth above, which must have taken his 
mind, for a few moments at least, from the fact of his im- 
prisonment. 

“ Do any of the boys want to see the town the little 
man asked. 

‘‘I don’t think they do, sir. Of course, if you want to 
send there for anything, any of us will go.” 

“ 'No, I don’t want to send, for I am going on shore my- 
self to carry Rogers. I thought, if any of you wanted to 
go, you’d better be getting readj^ But it’s just as well you 
don’t, for there ain’t more than twenty houses there, and 
really nothing to see.” 

Dare’s heart seemed to come up into his throat, so great 
was his delight that Captain Sammy was going ashore, for 
it seemed almost certain that, once left alone, they could 
dispose of Tommy in some way. 

He found an opportunity of warning Charley not to ex- 
press any desire to see Punta Rassa, and then went on deck 
to say “ good-bye ” to Rogers. 

“Have everything ready so that we can leave the mo- 
ment I get back,” shouted Captain Sammy, as the little 
tender left the Pearl; and even as he shouted the boys 

13 


194 


Raising the ^Rearli' 

could hear Tommy scurrying around below, probably en- 
gaged in stretching his legs. 

Strange as it may seem, the boys had not once thought 
that they should be without the means of reaching the 
shore after Captain Sammy left in the tender, and Dare’s 
joy at his going was very short-lived, for he realized when 
the little craft left the Pearl that he and his crew were 
quite as much prisoners as was Tommy. 

“There’s only one chance,” he said, mournfully, to 
Charley, “ and that is in a boat coming along-side, or near 
us, while he is gone. Let’s, all hands, keep a bright look- 
out, and if we see any kind of a craft hail her.” 

Tommy was perfectly quiet below, and there was no 
doubt but that he was making rapid inroads on the larder. 

The watch on the bow of the Pearl was not continued 
very long, for in five minutes after Captain Sammy stepped 
ashore he was seen returning, with some bundles in his 
hands, and he started directly for the steamer. 

“ It’s all up now,” said Dare, with a groan. “ Our trip 
is spoiled, all because of Tommy ; for I know something 
dreadful will happen when Captain Sammy sees him, and 
there isn’t much chance that we can keep him hidden very 
long.” 

Then he went down to tell the prisoner that he must get 
into his dungeon again, or, what would be altogether for 


Raising the ‘Rearir 195 

the best, show himself, and be set ashore as soon afterward 
as the little captain would permit. 

As to the last proposal Tommy showed such signs of 
fear that it was useless to urge it. He declared that he had 
rather jump overboard and run the risk of being eaten by 
the sharks, which death he thought would be far easier 
than the one the captain would mete out to him. He in- 
sisted that there would be plenty of opportunities for him 
to get on shore after they were farther up the river, and 
that he would gladly take the chances of the walk through 
the woods to Punta Rassa, rather than face his enemy. 

Then Charley proposed that he should hide under the 
little berth off the engine-room, rather than in the forward 
cabin, since in that place they would have a better chance 
to give him his food, and he could go into the standing- 
room after all the others were in bed. 

This change was gladly accepted by the disconsolate 
pirate, and he hastened to stow himself away there as 
quickly as possible. 

“You’ll certain let me know when there’s the littlest 
chance for me to get ashore, won’t you ?” he asked, implor- 
ingly, and Dare assured him with decided emphasis that 
he was quite as anxious to land him as he was to be landed. 

When Captain Sammy stepped on board he looked 
around him for some evidences that preparations had been 


196 Raising the ''Pearls 

made for getting the steamer under way, but everything 
was as he had left it. The crew bustled around lively 
enough as soon as he was there ; but their idleness during 
his absence was something he could not understand, and 
Dare believed the little man had grown suspicious. He 
well knew that if the captain should seriously suspect that 
something was taking place on the steamer which was kept 
a secret from him, it would not take liim long to discover 
everything, and then would come the tragedy he had been 
fearing. 

It was not many minutes after this before Charley an- 
nounced that he was ready, the anchor was weighed, and 
the Pearl steamed swiftly up the sluggish waters of the 
Caloosahatchee Kiver. 

Had the boys not been so troubled in their minds con- 
cerning Tommy, they would have enjoyed to the utmost 
the morning sail up the river, where the scenery was so 
beautiful and the animal life so abundant. 

Alligators of all sizes were to be seen as far as the eye 
could reach; some floating on the surface of the water, 
more like logs of wood than living things; others lying on 
the banks, with their wicked-looking eyes bright and shin- 
ing ; and others in pursuit of game. Snake-birds, with their 
shrill cries, seemed everywhere among the mangrove, oak, 
mulberry, or gum trees; bitterns darted from branch to 


197 


Raising the ^^Pearir 

branch ; kingfishers fiew before the steamer, or sat watch- 
ful near the water; and the banks of the river seemed 
teeming with birds of varied descriptions. 

Tall plants, with large white, crimson, or purple blossoms, 
and beautiful flowers of many kinds, fringed the water’s 
edge, while the banks were overhung with tangled masses 
of the densest tropical vegetation, beyond which rose for- 
ests of cabbage-palm, backed on the higher ground by tall 
pine-trees. 

The water was so clear that the bottom of the river could 
be distinctly seen, and Captain Sammy, from his perch on 
the bow, pointed out sharks, devil-fish, saw-fish, jew-fish, 
sting-rays, whip-rays, and innumerable other specimens, of 
which the boys had never heard. 

The scene was strangely beautiful ; but when Dare 
would grow interested in anything he saw, the thought of 
Tommy, and what the result of his stowing himself away 
on the Pearl might be, would come to him, and all else 
would be forgotten or unnoticed. 

It was after they had been about two hours on their 
journey that Bobby crept into the pilot-house, and, in 
a way intended to be secret, but which would instantly 
attract attention, whispered to Dare that Charley and 
Tommy had formed a plan which they wanted him to 
consent to. 


198 Raising the ''Pearls 

It was that one of the boys should call Captain Sammy 
into the cabin, and there engage his attention until the 
pirate could creep out on deck, jump into the tender, and 
row ashore. After he had made his escape into the woods 
some one could discover that the boat had gone adrift, and 
the steamer be put back for it. 

In case Captain Sammy should discover the plot after 
Tommy had cast the boat loose from the steamer, and 
while he was yet in sight, Charley was to pretend to mis- 
understand the signals given, and thus the pirate would 
escape before the steamer could be stopped. 

Dare did not like the plan, because of the deception that 
must be practised on the little man ; but something must 
be done, even if it was desperate, and he told Bobby to go 
away for a while until he could think the matter over. 

All this time Captain Sammy was leaning over the rail 
in a careless sort of way, as if he was paying no attention 
to what was taking place behind him ; but, had any of the 
boys watched him carefully, they would have seen that he 
was on the alert for everything around him. 

Dare realized that if they did not part company with the 
pirate very soon, they would be so far from any settlement 
as to make it impossible that he could ever reach home ; 
therefore, much as he disliked Charley’s plan, he concluded 
that it should be tried. 


199 


Raising the ''PearC 

He made motions to Bobby to come into the pilot-house 
again, and there another whispered consultation was held 
as to how Bobby should contrive to get the little man into 
the cabin and keep him there. 

Then Bobby returned to Charley, telling him what Dare 
had said, and warning him to have Tommy all ready when 
Dare should give the signal by whistling through the 
speaking-tube. 

Dare proposed to wait until they should come to a bend 
in the river before the plan was carried into execution, so 
that Tommy could be more sure of getting out of sight 
quickly, and in less than half an hour the Pearl approached 
what seemed to be the very place of all others in which to 
try the experiment. 

Dare whistled to Charley, and was about to motion to 
Bobby to do his portion of the work, when Captain Sammy 
started to his feet as if he had received an electric shock. 

“ I don’t like this !” he shouted, in what, to Dare, seemed 
a stern voice. “ Tell Charley to stop her !” 

It was with a sinking heart that Dare rang the bell, for 
he felt that the critical moment had come, and that in a 
very short time Captain Sammy would know all. 


200 


Raising the ''Pearll 


Chapter XIX. 


CAPTAIN SAMMY’S PERIL. 



the little man gave the order to stop the 
K Pearl he spoke in such a loud voice that every 
^ one on board heard him, and for a few moments 


confusion reigned in the engine-room. Of course, 
each one thought, as Dare had, that the pirate’s presence 
was discovered, or would be in a very short time, and 
Tommy’s knees trembled so that he could hardly manage 
to creep into his new hiding-place in the after-cabin. 

It would have been a far less observing man than Cap- 
tain Sammy who would not have seen the consternation 
and fear which was plainly written on the boys’ faces when 
they came on deck after he had given the order for the 
steamer to be stopped, and it did not escape his watchful 
gaze. 

But the cause of Captain Sammy’s apparently singular 
action arose from a more innocent reason than the guilty 
boys believed. It is possible, however, that his suspicions 
that some mischief was on foot had been aroused, and he 


Raising the ''Pearls 201 

spoke in this stern waj to satisfy himself if he was correct 
in his surmises. 

“ I don’t like this idea of rushing ahead as if everything 
depended on our getting to Lake Okechobee at a certain 
time,” he said, when the boys stood before him, and it is 
too bad not to take our share of these fish before we go any 
farther.” 

The faces of his listeners lightened up at once when they 
found that they had no cause for fear on Tommy’s account, 
and if Captain Sammy was making an experiment, he must 
have been convinced that his suspicions were correct. 

As soon as they learned that he wanted some fish the 
boys produced their lines and hooks with an alacrity which 
caused the little man to smile, for their haste to obey him 
was a proof that they had feared something from him. 

It did not take the three boys — Captain Sammy not 
caring to try his luck — very long to catch all the fish, and 
even more, than they could possibly use, and when they 
drew in their lines they had as many black bass, bream, cat- 
fish, and perch as it was possible the hungriest crew could 
dispose of before they spoiled. 

Captain Sammy surveyed the catch with a grim satisfac- 
tion, and while the boys were winding up their lines pre- 
paratory to starting on their journey again, he pointed out 
to them four quite large sharks which were lying motion- 


202 Raising the ^^Pearir 

less near the surface of the water, as if they expected a por- 
tion of the spoils. 

“Look at ’em,” cried the little man, as he shook his fist 
in impotent wrath toward the members of the same family 
who had dined off of his leg. “ You’ll find folks so igno- 
rant as to tell you that sharks won’t come up a river, and 
here we are fully twelve miles from the bay. I tell you a 
shark will follow a boat for days, in hopes that somebody 
will be foolish enough to tumble overboard, and just as 
likely as not those fellows have followed us all the way 
from Tampa.” 

The boys could not repress a shudder as they gazed at 
the sinister-looking fish, and it was not difficult to believe 
that Captain Sammy had told the truth, and that they were 
following the steamer in the hope of making a meal of hu- 
man fiesh. 

The view of the sharks was not a pleasant one, and when 
Captain Sammy called Bobby into the standing-room with 
him, to help clean the fish. Dare and Charley started the 
Pearl on again. 

The farther up the river they proceeded the more nu- 
merous had the alligators become, until now it required 
no small amount of skill on the part of the helmsman to 
prevent the little craft from running into the unwieldy 
creatures. 


203 


Raising the ''Pearls 

Once or twice the Pearl went so near to them as to 
rub against their scaly backs, and Captain Sammy, perched 
up on the rail at the extreme stern of the boat, ordered 
Charley to tell Dare to “ keep his eye peeled, or the steamer 
might get another hole knocked in her bow.” 

When the little man asked Bobby to come into the 
standing-room he stated that it was to help him clean the 
fish ; but when the work began Bobby was the one who 
was obliged to do the greater portion of it, w^hile Captain 
Sammy, from his elevated seat on the rail, gave his youth- 
ful assistant scientific lectures as to how the work should 
be done. 

Dare now had little time for any thought of the incubus 
they had on board in the shape of the pirate, for it seemed 
almost as if the alligators were doing their best to strike 
the Pearl with their long, ugly snouts. 

One seemed to have risen from the bottom of the river 
not a dozen feet from the bow of the steamer, and Dare 
was obliged to swing his wheel hard down to avoid him. 
As it was the little craft struck him about half-way from 
bow to midship, riding up on his scaly back in a way that 
caused her to careen until the starboard guard was even 
with the water. 

Dare had tried to escape one danger without noticing 
whether he might not be running into another, and the 


204 Raising the ''Pearls 

consequence was that the steamer struck full upon one of 
the largest of the saurian monsters at the same time she 
careened so badly. 

Dare had no thought for anything save the possible dam- 
age that might have been done to the boat, and therefore 
gave no heed to the cry which came from the stern. In 
fact, so alarmed was he lest they were in a sinking condi- 
tion, that he could not tell afterward whether or no he 
heard any cry whatever. 

But in a very few seconds he saw that the engine had 
been suddenly reversed, and then came the startling cry, 
both from Bobby and Charley, 

“ Captain Sammy’s overboard ! Captain Sammy’s over- 
board !” 

For an instant Dare let go the helm and rushed out of 
the pilot-house to see what could be done ; but before he 
could get aft he realized that, with the engine still in mo- 
tion, he, by deserting his post, was not doing anything to- 
ward saving Captain Sammy, but was actually retarding 
operations, by allowing the steamer to back around where 
she might ground, or work herself worse injury. 

Grasping the spokes of the wheel firmly, as if by his 
strong hold he could also retain all his presence of mind, 
he looked astern for some signs of the man who was in 
such deadly peril. 


CAPTAIN Sammy’s overboard ! 




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Raising the '‘Rearir 207 

The steamer had run ahead some distance after the blow 
had been struck which knocked the little man from his 
lofty perch, and now he could be seen fully fifty yards 
behind, while the reversing of the engine was taking the 
Pearl toward the bank of the river. 

Captain Sammy was splashing around in the water and 
screaming loudly, evidently for the purpose of frightening 
away the sharks and alligators ; but, owing to the fact of 
his having but one leg, it was with difficulty that he was 
keeping himself afloat. 

Charley, Bobby, and even Tommy had by this time 
rushed into the bow, as if for Dare to tell them what to 
do, and he knew only too well that the saving of the little 
man’s life depended almost wholly on him. 

“ Go back to your post,” he shouted, sternly, to Charley, 

and put on all steam ahead !” 

It needed the stern command to arouse the engineer 
from his panic, and as Dare swung the wheel way around 
the laboring of the boat told that the order had been 
obeyed. 

It was necessary to traverse nearly half of a circle 
before the apparently drowning man could be reached, 
and when Dare rang the bell to “stop her” he saw at 
a glance that Captain Sammy could do very little toward 
helping himself, lest, if he cease his exertions for a mo- 


2o8 Raising the Pear ir 

merit, either the sharks or the alligators would seize 
him. 

Dare was completely at a loss to know what to do, and 
even as he hesitated he could see that Captain Sammy’s 
struggles were growing fainter and fainter. It was only 
too evident that he could not hold out many minutes 
longer. 

Dare rushed for the tender, calling Charley to follow 
him, but he knew even in his excitement that they could 
not pull him in over the rail of that frail boat without up- 
setting her and endangering the lives of all. 

The condition of his mind was little short of agony, and 
just when his fear was the most intense he was conscious 
that a form had darted past him and plunged into the 
water. 

He could not prevent himself from screaming as he saw 
what seemed to be a leap to certain death, and he looked 
quickly around, to see whether it was his brother or his 
cousin who had gone there bravely to die. 

But Charley and Bobby were both standing behind him, 
and he passed his hand over his eyes, as if he fancied he 
must have been deceived in what he thought he saw. 

It was certain, however, that some one had jumped over, 
for a swimmer could be seen making directly for the nearly 
exhausted man and splashing in the water at a furious rate. 


209 


Raising the '‘Pearls 

“ Why, it’s Tommy !” Dare cried, astonished that he had 
not thought of this one of their passengers before, and 
then all his faculties were restored to him again. 

“ Give the wheels a couple of turns !” he shouted to 
Charley, as he picked up a heaving -line and ran to the 
bows. 

The steamer was only about a dozen yards from the two 
who were struggling in the water against so many perils, 
and he hoped to be fortunate enough to run along-side 
them, when a rope could be flung around Captain Sammy. 

14 


210 


Raising the "'‘Pearli 


Chapter XX. 

THE RECONCHilATION. 

f ^OETUXATELY for Dare’s plan, the helm of 
the Pea/rl was still hard down, and the slight im- 
petus given her by the wheels caused her to circle 
directly around the two in the water. Dare was 
thus enabled to swing the bight of the rope to Tommy, 
and in an instant after it was placed under the little man’s 
arms. 

“ Xow climb up on the rope, and then we’ll all pull him 
in,” said Dare to Tommy. 

“ That won’t do,” replied the little fellow, as he renewed 
his efforts at splashing, “ for, you see, when I was out of the 
water they’d take his legs off quicker ’n a wink. Haul him 
in, and when you pass the rope to me be ready to snake 
me in sudden, or it’ll be all up with me.” 

Surely Tommy was showing himself to be a hero, and 
neither of the boys thought of his past misdeeds as they 
admired his courage. 

It did not take long to pull Captain Sammy on board 


Raising the ^'Pearli 


21 I 


when all hands had hold of the rope, and, exhausted as he 
was, he managed to walk unaided into the forward cabin, 
where he applied his own restoratives. 

Then came the more difficult work of rescuing Tommy ; 
for, since the boy had spoken, all now knew the danger 
with which it would be attended. 

The fins of the sharks as they circled around and around 
their expected prey, which they did not dare to touch, could 
be seen in dangerous proximity to the brave little pirate, 
and at times the ugly noses of the alligators seemed almost 
to touch him. 

He was making as much noise as possible, but the exer- 
tion was telling on him, and when at last Dare succeeded 
in getting the rope around his shoulders it was quite time, 
for he was as nearly exhausted as Captain Sammy. 

Bobby at this moment thought of what should have been 
done before, and, taking an oar, he reached out as far as 
possible, striking the fiat of the blade on the water. By 
this means they succeeded in getting Tommy on board safe 
and whole ; and the moment he was landed on the deck he 
scurried to his old hiding-place, as if he expected Captain 
Sammy would give immediate pursuit. 

Dare tried to urge him to come into the cabin, in order 
to get some dry clothes; but Tommy displayed quite as 
much terror now at facing the little man as he did before 


212 Raising the ^'Pearli' 

he had made such heroic attempts to save his life, 9,nd he 
crawled under the berth, without regard to the water that 
ran from him in little streams. 

Tommy had hardly hidden himself, when Captain Sam- 
my came on deck, apparently none the worse for his in- 
voluntary bath. 

He looked at the three boys in silence for a moment, and 
then, in a voice not wholly free from traces of emotion, but 
still gruff, he asked, 

“ Who was it jumped in to help me?” 

“ It was Tommy Tucker,” replied Dare, and before Cap- 
tain Sammy fully understood that assertion he related the 
story of Tommy’s being on the boat, speaking very rapidly, 
as if fearing that he should be interrupted. 

For fully a moment Captain Sammy stood in perfect 
silence, and then he asked, in a voice which, the boys were 
almost certain, trembled, 

“ Where is he now ?” 

Charley told him of Tommy’s fear at meeting him, and 
where he had hidden himself. 

Go and fetch him out ;” and from the tones of the lit- 
tle man’s voice it was hard to tell whether he intended to 
meet his late enemy in friendship or with the long feud 
still open. 

It was one thing to order Tommy to be brought, and 


213 


Raising the Pearls 

quite another to bring liim. Charley had coaxed and en- 
treated, all to no purpose, and it was not until he threat- 
ened to go and tell Captain Sammy to come himself 
that the pirate could be induced to roll out from under 
the berth. 

Then, when he went aft to where the little man was 
waiting for him, he appeared like a boy who expects to be 
knocked down each minute, and fears some harder fate is 
reserved for him because the blow is not dealt. 

But the reception was far different from what he had 
imagined it would be. 

Captain Sammy went to him as he came up, and, taking 
both the dirty hands in his, he said, in a voice that was 
husky with emotion, 

“You have saved my life, lad, and that’s something I 
can’t repay by thanks. But for you this shattered old hulk 
would have been food for the sharks, and I standing before 
the great Captain. I never believed there was any good in 
you. Tommy, but you have shown that you are braver than 
most men would be. I’m going to take you home with me, 
lad — for if it hadn’t been for you I should never go there 
again — and so long as I’ve got a timber to float on you 
shall be at the other end of it. iSTow get one of the boys 
to give you a dry suit of clothes till I can flx you up 
something to wear that looks more trim than what you’ve 


214 Raising the ^Rearl!' 

got now, and take hold and have a good time with the 
rest.” 

And thus it was that Dare’s troubles were over, and the 
not over-bold pirate made one of the crew of the yacht 
Pearl. 

As soon as Tommy was clad in one of Bobby’s suits of 
clothes the Pearl was started on her voyage again ; and the 
trip seemed to have just begun for Dare, who had hardly 
had a moment’s peace since he knew of the stowaway. 

Despite his previous calling. Tommy proved a most val- 
uable acquisition to the company ; he was both willing and 
anxious to do everything in his power, and Captain Sammy 
soon began to like him as heartily as he had once disliked 
him. 

Owing to the delay of the first day on the Caloosahatchee, 
Lake Kackpochee, through which they must pass, was not 
reached until noon of the second day after leaving Punta 
Kassa; and three hours later, when the Pearl glided out 
upon that large, lonely-looking body of water, the boys felt 
a sense of awe and isolation creep over them. 

Lake Okechobee, as Dare had read when the idea that 
he might visit it had first come to him, is from forty to 
fifty miles long, about twenty-five wide, and with a depth 
of from five to twenty feet. 

This was to be their abiding-place while they remained 


YOU HAVE SAVED MY LIFE, LAD 







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217 


Raising the ^Rearli' 

in the Everglades, and Captain Sammy at once looked 
around for a good anchorage, which he fortunately found 
not far from the mouth of the river, where a piece of hard, 
shelving beach ran down into the water. 

“I^ow, boys,” said the little man, after everything had 
been made snug for a protracted stay, “ I suppose you are 
aching to get on shore to try your hand at shooting? You 
can all take the afternoon off, and I’ll stay here to keep 
ship. Keep your weather eyes open, for you’ll find bears, 
panthers, and wild-cats hereabouts, as well as small game, 
and it wouldn’t do to let any of them catch you napping.” 

Hastily promising to be careful not to allow any animals 
to get the best of them, the boys rowed ashore, and it was 
not many moments before they learned that on the shores 
of Lake Okechobee it is not necessary to hunt very long 
for game, for the woods appeared to be literally teeming 
with life. 

Dare’s greatest ambition in the hunting line had been to 
shoot a deer, and from the time his parents had first spoken 
about the trip to Florida up to that moment he had re- 
solved that he would undertake any labor, however exces- 
sive, for the purpose of seeing one of those noble animals 
fall before his rifle. 

Therefore it was that, while the other boys were growing 
excited at the abundance of feathered game near them, and 


2I8 


Raising the ^Rearir 

were discharging their weapons whenever a bird with par- 
ticularly brilliant plumage would rise, Dare stood by, a 
silent spectator of the wholesale slaughter, as if waiting 
until his companions’ exuberance of spirits should have 
worn itself out, as it were. 

It was not long before the boys did tire of this wanton 
sport, for it was hardly anything else, since one could re- 
main at a standstill and shoot right and left without dis- 
turbing the numerous flocks save for a few moments at a 
time ; and when Charley suddenly discovered that it was 
too bad to bring the birds down simply for the sake of kill- 
ing, Dare was ready with his proposition : 

“Let’s divide into two parties, Charley and Bobby in 
one, and Tommy and I in the other ; then one party can 
take a long hunt for big game while the other stays nearer 
the steamer, in case Captain Sammy should need us. By 
that means we shall get on without trouble, and by chang- 
ing around each day all hands will have an equal chance 
of getting a deer or a bear. Now, Charley, do you want to 
take a long tramp to-day 

Charley, who had slaughtered a quantity of birds, had no 
desire for such violent exercise just then ; and, with the un- 
derstanding that he and Bobby should remain within sound 
of a signal from the Pearly Dare and Tommy set out in 
search of game more worthy the hunter. 


219 


Raising the ^Rearli' 

Tommy had not the slightest idea of how deer should be 
hunted, but since the taint of his piratical calling had been 
removed from him he was ready for anything, and he ac- 
companied Dare in high glee. 

After settling the points of the compass in his mind as 
well as he was able. Dare started into the woods in such a 
direction as would keep the sun* on his left side, and in a 
very short time they were where the forest was as dense as 
though they were in the very heart of the Everglades. 

Still Dare pushed on until the cover was more open, and 
just as he caught sight of a small space which was nearly 
free from trees he saw that for which he sought. 

Three deer and a buck were feeding in the open, and the 
wind was blowing directly from them to the hunters. 

Under such circumstances it was not a difficult matter 
for the hunter to creep quite near them, and, with hands 
trembling from the excitement of seeing the game he had 
so long desired to encounter. Dare took as good aim as 
was possible and discharged his weapon. 


220 


Raising the ^Rearl! 


Chapter XXL 



IN THE TRACKLESS FOREST. 

E had aimed at one of the females, instead of 
at the buck, because she had chanced to be nearer 
to him ; and, although she did not fall at once, he 
knew from her movements as she started away 
that his bullet had taken effect. 

The herd were off at once, but the wounded one ran so 
unsteadily that Dare, believing she would drop almost im- 
mediately, raised a shout of triumph, and started after his 
game, closely followed by Tommy. 

The trail was not difficult to follow, even for inexperi- 
enced hunters, for it was distinctly marked by the blood 
that fell from the wounded animal, and Dare’s heart beat 
high at the thought that at last he had killed the game he 
so ardently desired to kill. 

But the deer was not so near her death as he had 
thought, for they continued to follow, catching glimpses 
of the wounded animal, as, left far behind the others of the 


Raising the '‘"‘Pearir 221 

herd, she ran with increasing difficulty, until the sun had 
sunk almost below the tree-tops. 

In the excitement of the chase they had not noticed the 
passage of time, and when at last they came to where the 
poor animal had fallen, never to rise again, they were sur- 
prised to find that it was so nearly dark that it was with 
difficulty they could see the game they had killed. 

“We must hurry back to the Pearl,'^ said Dare, as he 
looked about him with a troubled air, “ for it won’t be long 
before it will be too late for us to be able to tell where the 
west is.” 

It seemed as if it was immaterial to Tommy whether 
they could distinguish the points of the compass or not, 
and he answered “All right,” much as if they only had the 
question of a five minutes’ tramp before them. 

Dare was so thoroughly anxious about their position that 
he did not even stop to try to skin his game, but com- 
menced hurriedly to cut out one of the haunches, that they 
might at least have proof of what they had killed. 

Inexperienced as he was, and with only a small- sized 
hunting-knife to work with, it was no slight task to cut out 
the meat he wanted to carry ; and when the job was fin- 
ished the darkness — which, in tropical countries, succeeds 
the light so quickly — had formed an impenetrable veil 
around the amateur hunters. 


222 Raising the ^Rearli' 

During the operation of cutting out the haunch Dare 
had turned the deer several times, and had changed his 
own position so often, that when he was ready to start 
again he had no more idea of which direction he should 
go in order to find the Pearl than if he had been led there 
blindfolded. 

ISTot wanting Tommy to know that he was so utterly 
confused, he called to him to follow, and started ofi at 
hap -hazard, stumbling over trunks of fallen trees, and 
tripped up by the running vines, until it seemed worse 
than folly for them to continue on their blind course any 
longer. 

“ Tommy,” said Dare, solemnly, as he stopped and took 
one of his companion’s hands in his, “ we’re lost I” 

“ I know that,” was the laconic reply from the ex-pirate, 
and he appeared perfectly indifferent about the matter. 

“But what shall we do?” asked Dare, irritated by the 
calm manner in which his companion spoke. 

“ Get up in a tree, an’ wait till morning,” replied Tom- 
my, philosophically. 

The ex-pirate’s advice was not only good, but it seemed 
as if it was the only thing that could be done ; and, without 
being able to see toward what new peril they were going, 
they began to climb the nearest tree. 

With their guns slung to their backs the boys tried to 


Raising the ^Rearli' 223 

get themselves into something approaching a comfortable 
position on the crotch of the limb. 

But it is hardly possible to make one’s self comfortable 
on the branch of a tree when it is a question of remaining 
all night, and the hours that intervened before daylight 
seemed the longest that Dare had ever known, although it 
is possible that Tommy had had some experience in dreary 
hours when he was hiding from Captain Sammy in the 
cabin of the Pearl, 

Whenever sleep did visit their eyelids it was only for a 
few moments, and then they would awake with a start as 
they found themselves slipping from their perch. 

In a state of continual awakenings, intermingled with 
the greatest desire to sleep, the time passed, and daylight 
came quite as suddenly as it had disappeared. 

The first thing Dare did, when it was light enough for 
them to pursue their journey again, was to fire off his gun 
several times, that the report might serve as signal in case 
their companions were anywhere near them. 

The first thing Tommy did was to build a fire and cook 
some slices of their venison, for they both felt nearly fam- 
ished. 

The breakfast of hot meat gave them renewed courage, 
and they started out almost thoroughly invigorated. 

They had walked nearly an hour without seeing any in- 


224 


Raising the '‘'‘Pearir 


dications that they were on the right course, when Tommy, 
who was in advance, uttered a cry of joy, and rushed to- 
ward a flat stone, at which he gazed intently. 

“ Here’s a feller what’ll show us our way,” he cried, as 
he pointed to what looked more 
like the skeleton of an insect than 
anything else. “ You wait a min- 
ute, and he’ll stand up and point 
right to where the Pearl is.” 

Dare had heard, since he had 
been in Florida, of an insect 
called “the spectre,” which su- 
perstitious people believed would 
point out the way to travellers 
lost in the forest, and, without 
believing that they possessed any 
such power, he examined the creature with much interest. 

Tommy, sincere in the belief that the spectre would 
point out the right direction for them to take, asked very 
solemnly if it would tell them the way they ought to go, 
and then he waited patiently for an answer. 

It was not many moments before the insect partly raised 
its body, and waved its fore-legs to and fro, as if really an- 
swering Tommy’s question. 

The ex-pirate started off at once in the direction pointed 



225 


Raising the 'Rearli' 

out; but Dare, who remained a moment longer, saw the 
spectre seize a flj in its feet, killing it instantly. It had 
waved its legs for the purpose of enticing the fly, rather 
than to show Tommy the way, although no amount of rea- 
soning could convince the boy of that fact. 

Fortunately, the insect had pointed directly in the course 
the boys had been pursuing, so that there was no need of 
any discussion as to whether they should follow its direc- 
tions or not. 

It was nearly noon before Tommy lost faith in the 
spectre’s power, and then there was good reason for it, 
since they had walked steadily without finding even a 
stream which might give them a course for the lake. 

They had suffered from the lack of water ; but this suf- 
fering had not been severe, since they had found pools of 
brackish water now and then, which they drank as eagerly 
as though it had sparkled like crystal. 

They were now as hungry as they had been in the morn- 
ing, and Dare proposed that they should cook more of the 
haunch of venison, to which Tommy had clung pertina- 
ciously. But it was only necessary to attempt to cut it in 
order to find that it was no longer fit for food, the heat 
having thoroughly spoiled it. 

‘‘We must shoot the first thing we see, for we shall 
never get out of this if we don’t keep ourselves strong by 

15 


2 26 Raising the '‘Rearir 

plenty of food,” said Dare ; and Tommy promised to obey, 
which promise came very near being fatal to both of them. 

The ex-pirate was in advance, and, in less than ten min- 
utes from the time he had promised to shoot the first ob- 
ject that presented itself. Dare saw him raise his gun to 
his shoulder. 

It was impossible to see what kind of game the boy was 
aiming at, but Dare waited silent and motionless, hoping 
that the result of his shot might be a good dinner for 
both. 

The instant the report of the rifle died away Dare heard 
a loud snarl, and a rustling of the bushes a short distance 
ahead, as if some very large animal had been wounded. 

At the same time Tommy sprang back and began to re- 
load his gun. 

‘‘ What was it ?” asked Dare, beginning to grow alarmed, 
as the noise in the bushes increased. 

“A panther,” replied Tommy, in much the same tone 
he would have used if he had said “ A bird,” and then he 
added, quite calmly, “ I flred ’cause you said I must at the 
first thing I saw; but you’d better look out, for he ain’t 
dead yet.” 

It seemed an aggravation of their misery to be obliged 
to fight a panther when they were exhausted from the 
long tramp and lack of food; but there was no way out 


Raising the ^'Rearli' 227 

of it, and Dare peered cautiously around, in order to be pre- 
pared for any move the wounded animal might make. 

It was hardly a moment before he saw the panther, as, 
reared on its hind-legs, it seemed to be coming directly to- 
ward them, and not more than ten yards away. 


228 


Raising the "Rearli 


Chapter XXII. 

OUT OF THE WILDERNESS. 

f ^T was anything rather than a pleasant or even 
safe position in which the boys found themselves, 
with a wounded panther advancing directly toward 
them, and they with no weapons other than two 
muzzle-loading rifles. 

But there was only one way in which they could hope 
to extricate themselves, and that was by continuing the 
attack which Tommy had so rashly begun. 

Beared on its hind-legs as it was, the animal presented a 
fair mark at short range, and Dare flred at him quickly, 
certain that he hit him full in the breast, but without caus- 
ing any change in his movements. 

Tommy, who had taken refuge behind a tree, where he 
loaded his gun with all the coolness and precision of an old 
hunter, was ready to take up his portion of the thread of 
the difficulty, and he also sent a bullet with apparently as 
true an aim as Dare’s. 

At receiving this shot the furious animal was brought to 


DAKE FIKED AT HIM QUICKLY. 






1 



Raising the ''Pearls 231 

the ground, where he gave such evidences of strength as 
warned the hunters that there was plenty of fight left in 
him despite his wounds. 

Dare followed Tommy’s example of loading while be- 
hind a tree, and two heavy charges were put into the guns. 
The monster was still writhing on the ground ; and the 
boys, stepping cautiously up to within ten or twelve feet of 
the brute, sent two bullets crashing into his skull, which 
had the effect of killing him instantly. 

It was a short but hard battle, well fought, and the boys 
stood viewing the evidence of their skill as marksmen, 
without a thought of the fact that they were lost in the 
forest, when suddenly a familiar sound greeted their ears, 
causing them to shout for very joy. 

It was the whistle of the Pearly and could not have been 
more than half a mile away. 

“ They must have heard us while we were firing at the 
panther,” said Dare, joyfully ; “ but we will fire once more, 
to make sure.” 

The guns were loaded with powder, and both discharged 
at the same time. Then came three short whistles, show- 
ing that the signal had been heard, and after that pro- 
longed whistling at regular intervals, so that the lost ones 
would have no difficulty in retracing their steps. 

Dare was anxious to carry the skin of the panther with 


232 Raising the "Rearir 

him as a trophy, and he insisted on skinning the carcass 
before starting again to rejoin their friends. 

The hide was not taken off in a remarkably workman- 
like manner, but it was off, at all events ; and then came a 
hurried march over fallen trees, among climbing, clinging 
vines, wherein lurked poisonous reptiles, until at last the 
waters of the lake could be seen from among the trees. 

The little steamer had never looked half so beautiful as 
when Dare and Tommy stepped out on the hard beach, 
where they could see her, a short distance from the shore, 
while Charley and Bobby were just putting off in the tender. 

Five minutes later and they were in their floating home 
once more, trying to eat as many as three meals in one and 
tell their story at the same time. 

They learned that when night came and they had not 
returned Captain Sammy had ordered steam gotten up, and 
had cruised along the shore of the lake until midnight, 
sounding the whistle at intervals of about three minutes. 
After that time the Pearl came to an anchor ; Charley and 
Bobby went to bed, while the little man remained awake 
all the night long, in order to keep the whistle going. 

At daybreak the steamer was gotten under way again, 
and had been cruising along the shore all the forenoon, 
until the reports of the guns were heard when the boys 
were battling with the panther. 


233 


Raising the '' Pear ir 

“ It won’t do to try any more such hunting adventures, 
lads, for you might not get oS. so easily next time, and I 
don’t propose to leave any of you here in the Everglades,” 
said Captain Sammy, in as stern a voice as possible ; but 
his joy at their safe return was too great to admit of his 
speaking as gruffly as he could sometimes. 

The Pearl was run back to her former anchorage, and, 
after everything was made snug for the second time, Cap- 
tain Sammy said, 

“ Tommy, there’s a cabbage-palm right over there. Can’t 
you climb it ?” 

“Of course I can,” replied the ex-pirate, in disdain that 
there should be any question about his ability to do such a 
simple thing. 

“All right; here’s my belt and knife, and if the boys 
will row you ashore we’ll show them what a cabbage that 
is raised on a tree tastes like.” 

The boys were only too willing to do as the little man 
had hinted they should, for they were anxious both to see 
a cabbage-palm and how a leathern belt and a sheath-knife 
could be used in climbing a tree. 

After they were on shore, and Tommy had started in the 
direction Captain Sammy had pointed, the boys could see 
the famous cabbage-palm, as it reared its graceful head 
above the surrounding trees. Fully ninety feet the trunk 


234 


Raising the '^Pearli' 

rose straight as a reed, with not a branch to mar its taper- 
ing symmetry, and the top was one immense mass of dark- 
green, fan-shaped leaves. 

It was in the centre of these leaves where the cabbage — 
which is really a young, tender shoot — would be found, pro- 
tected by numerous fibres or folds, and Tommy set about 
his task of getting it with the greatest unconcern. 

The belt he buckled around the trunk of the tree and his 
own body, and, by holding on with his knees while he 
shoved the belt farther up on the trunk, he was enabled to 
make reasonably rapid progress, at the same time teaching 
his companions a lesson in tree-climbing. 

On reaching the top Tommy cut off some of the large 
leaves, which would make an excellent camp on shore, and 
then cut the cabbage from its secure and cosy home. 

Captain Sammy was as delighted with the prize when it 
was brought to him as if he had received one of the veri- 
table vegetables from which the tree takes its name ; but 
when it was cooked that night the boys could not detect 
very much of a cabbage flavor. Dare thought it was more 
like a boiled chestnut in taste, and the others were of his 
opinion — all save Captain Sammy, who would insist that 
the flavor was that of a cabbage and nothing more. 

The little man showed them how to tan the skin of the 
panther, and Tommy and Dare worked at it, while Charley 


235 


Raising the ''Pearir 

and Bobby went on shore to shoot some sand-cranes, com- 
ing back with two fine specimens, which Captain Sammy 
promised to stuff for them. 

This offer raised the greatest enthusiasm on the subject 
of stuffed birds among the boys; and the little captain 
found that if he granted all the requests he should have 
work enough on hand to keep him busy about two months ; 
therefore he proposed to teach the art of taxidermy to them, 
so that they might carry with them a goodly collection of 
specimens from the Everglades. 

This offer was eagerly accepted by Dare and Charley, 
and for the next ten days little was done save stuffing and 
mounting the birds which Tommy and Bobby brought in, 
and the greater portion of the work was really creditable 
to the young taxidermists. 

When every available inch of space in both cabins was 
filled with birds of gorgeous plumage or grotesque shapes. 
Captain Sammy proposed that they should start the idle 
engines once more, and make a complete tour of the lake, 
which proposition was accepted without a dissenting voice. 


236 


Raising the ^Rearll 


Chaptee XXIIL 



THE EVERGLADES. 

-was at an early hour on the morning after the 
tour of the lake had been decided upon that the 
Pea/rl left her anchorage and sailed to the south- 
east along the shore — or, at least, the geographical 
boundary — of the lake. It is necessary to speak of the 
shore only in a technical sense ; for the greater portion of 
the distance the border of the lake was marked only by 
tufts of grass or small patches of land, looking like little 
islands. 

This marsh, or submerged meadow, was really the lake 
shore, over which the water had flowed into what a writer 
poetically terms “ that vast, island-studded lake, the Ever- 
glades.” 

Captain Sammy talked during that flrst day of the voy- 
age of discovery as if he had some stout internal spring 
which prevented his jaws from closing ; but as all he said 
was entertaining and instructive, the boys would not have 
stopped him had they been able to do so. He pointed out 


237 


Raising the ^Rearli' 

among the trees palmettos, oaks, cocoa -trees, crab -wood, 
mastic, and cypress; and among the birds very many 
varieties which they had not secured. 

It was during their first night’s halt that Captain Sammy 
said, as he armed himself with his formidable spectacles 
and a book, 

‘‘I did think when we struck in here that we could 
take a tramp inland, but the water is so high that you 
will have to get the information your father insisted 
you should have from this book,” and he handed them 
Professor Agassiz’s “Methods of Study in Natural His- 
tory.” 

“Now, this book will tell you that what is called the 
Everglades consists of seven parallel lines of hummocks, 
each of which have formed in turn the Florida reefs. 
After they were reefs they became keys, and then main- 
land, and some do go so far as to say that the whole point 
of this State was built by them little polyps I was telling 
you about.” 

The boys had been trying to resign themselves, in a 
sleepy way, to what they supposed was a long lecture on 
the formation of that portion of the State ; but when Cap- 
tain Sammy ended thus abruptly, and then handed the 
book to Dare, that they might study it at their leisure, 
their relief was as great as their surprise. 


238 Raising the ^Rearir 

Dare had but one question to ask, and the subject of it 
had troubled him considerably at the time he and Tommy 
were lost in the forest : 

“Are there any Indians around here, Captain Sammy?” 

“Hone of any account, my lad. Time has been when 
they had their own way down here, an’, for the matter of 
that, pretty much all over the State; but there’s only about 
a couple of hundred left now, and they don’t show them- 
selves very often.” 

Before the Pearl was gotten under way the next morn- 
ing Captain Sammy gave Tommy a suit of clothes he had 
been making out of some old ones of his. It was a full 
sailor rig, cut man-of-war fashion, and the ex-pirate looked 
as nice and trim in them as if he had been fitted out by the 
most expert tailor in the country. 

The trip around the lake was not nearly as exciting or 
interesting as they had fancied it would be, save now and 
then when they landed to get some new specimen of bird 
to add to their collection, and all hands were beginning to 
weary of what was becoming monotonous, when Captain 
Sammy came to the rescue. 

“We’ll come to anchor early this afternoon, and see if 
we can’t fix the tender up for a night’s fishing.” 

Tommy nodded his head approvingly, for he knew what 
was meant by fishing by night ; but the others looked at 


239 


Raising the '‘''Pearir 

the captain in surprise, for they had not supposed the fish 
would bite at night, and Dare told Captain Sammy as 
much. 

“I don’t suppose the fish would bite,’- said the little 
man, “ and that don’t make any difference, for, you see, this 
time we will bite the fish,” and then he chuckled over what 
he evidently thought was a very good joke, until the boys 
began to fear he would choke. 

With some pieces of stout wire the little man made what 
looked like grates, such as are used in open coal stoves, 
and when these were done he and Tommy went on shore, 
returning with a quantity of pine-knots. 

Four short spears with barbs on them were put into the 
tender, the grates were hung on either side, and Captain 
Sammy’s arrangements were complete. 

It was easy now to understand what he had meant by 
biting the fish.” . 

The Pearl was brought to an anchor about three o’clock 
in the afternoon ; the fires were allowed to go out, in 
order to save coal; and all hands waited for the night 
to come. 

The evening proved to be a good one for the sport, for 
there was no moon, and the stars were partially obscured 
by clouds. 

‘^We couldn’t have had a better time for the sport if 


240 Raising the ^Rearir 

we’d been waiting round here for a month,” said Captain 
Sammy, approvingly, as he gave the order for the boat to 
be hauled up along-side. ‘‘ Before long I’ll show you lads 
something that you can tell about when you get home.” 

The boys thought that they had considerable of that sort 
of material already stowed away, but they were eager for 
anything novel, and they lost no time in getting on board 
the tender. 

Captain Sammy assigned to each of them a place in 
which to sit, for the little craft was uncomfortably crowded 
with so many, and he ordered Tommy to the duty of at- 
tending to the fires. 

Each of the others had a spear, while Dare and Charley 
had an oar, their task being to row to such a place as the 
little man thought best suited to the sport. 

Tommy had provided himself with some bits of tarred 
rope apd paper, and by the time Captain Sammy had 
given the order to stop rowing he had the fires burn- 
ing fiercely in the grates, with pieces of sheet-iron over 
the boat’s side, to protect the wood-work from the fiames. 

“ 'Now look down at the fish !” exclaimed Tommy, in 
delight ; and the boys peered down over the sides of the 
boat. 

Great was their surprise to find that they could see 
through the water so distinctly as to perceive even the 


Raising the ^^Pearir 241 

smallest pebble on the bottom, and fish of all sizes were 
darting in every direction. 

“ Pole her along with the boat-hook, Tommy,” said Cap- 
tain Sammy, and then he gave the others an example of 
how the fish were to be caught, by spearing and hauling on 
board a large-sized one. 

Tommy poled the boat gently along, at the same time 
keeping the fire burniqg brightly, while all hands engaged 
in the exciting sport, capturing some that required all their 
strength to land in the boat. 

Even Captain Sammy grew so excited in the sport that 
he failed to notice that the wind, and not Tommy, was 
urging the boat along, while the sky was completely over- 
cast by the large, dark clouds that seemed hurrying along 
for the purpose of starting a storm. 

“You’ll have to stop now, for that’s the last of the 
wood,” said Tommy, as he threw a large pine-knot on the 
fire; and as he said this Captain Sammy started up in 
something very like alarm. 

Hurriedly he gazed around, noticing for the first time 
the signs of the coming storm, and the means by which the 
boat had been propelled. 

A dense darkness shut out everything beyond the circle 
of light from view, and it was impossible to see any signs 
of the little steamer. 


16 


242 


Raising the '^Pearir 

For two or three minutes Captain Sammy stood erect 
and silent, mentally scolding at his stupidity in not hoist- 
ing the signal -lantern before leaving the steamer, and 
then he seated himself in the stern again with the air 
of one who, knowing he has committed a grievous error, 
resolves to take desperate measures to repair the wrong 
done. 

“Take up your oars and pull as hard as you can,” he 
said to Dare and Charley, and speaking as if he was simply 
in a hurry to get back to the Pearl. “Keep your fires 
ablaze as long as you can. Tommy,” he added, “ and if you 
haven’t got wood enough use one of the thwarts.” 

But it was more difficult to return than even the little 
man had imagined. Urged along only by the wind as 
they had been, the increasing roughness of the water had 
not been noticed. Kow, as Captain Sammy steered her 
right in the teeth of the wind, for that was all he had to 
guide him in his course, the little boat danced and rocked 
on the waves, while every now and then one would break 
over the gunwale, owing to her heavy load. 

“ Throw those fish overboard,” said Captain Sammy to 
Bobby, who sat nearest him. 

“ All of them ?” asked Bobby, in surprise, not willing to 
lose such a fine cargo. 

“You may keep two; but put the others out as quick as 


Raising the ''Pearir 243 

you can. Tommy, bear a hand on that bow oar with Char- 
ley and wake her up !” 

Tommy, as fireman, had become useless, since the waves 
had fought his fire from the time the start homeward was 
made ; and just before Captain Sammy spoke they had 
quenched the fiames in both grates, coming in over the 
bow in no small quantity at the same time. 

The darkness was now so intense that the old sailor 
could not see more than three boat-lengths ahead, and he 
knew, even though he was hardly willing to admit it to 
himself, that their chances for reaching the Pearl that 
night were well-nigh hopeless. 


244 


Raising the ^Rearli 


Chapter XXIV. 



LOST ON LAKE OKECHOBEE. 

X HERE was no word spoken by those on the boat 
save now and then as Captain Sammy uttered an 
order in a sharp, quick tone, that told quite as 
plainly as did the surroundings the peril in which 
they were placed. 

Bobby was kept bailing steadily, and even then the 
water would have increased faster than it could have been 
disposed of if the little captain had not assisted from time 
to time. 

The wind was fast increasing in violence, until the waves 
in that inland sea appeared almost as high as on the ocean, 
and all the skill of the helmsman could not prevent them 
from breaking over the frail craft every few moments. 

The boys labored manfully at the oars, but much of their 
strength was spent in vain, owing to the fact that at least 
half of the time the oaken blades were too high out of the 
water, or too deep in, because of the violence and height 
of the waves. 


Raising the '‘'Pearls 245 

For nearly an hour this useless struggle was continued, 
and nothing had been seen of the Pearl. Owing to the 
fact that he had no means of directing his course it was 
very probable that they were headed in any other than the 
right direction, and Captain Sammy also knew very well 
that they might have run within a dozen yards of her with- 
out being aware of the fact. 

It had begun to rain, and, if the gale continued to in- 
crease, as indeed it promised to, the little boat could not 
ride another hour. 

Captain Sammy would have put about and let the wind 
drive them on to the shore some time before he did, if it 
had not been for the danger that would attend the turning 
of the boat ; their only safety had been to keep her right 
in the teeth of the wind, but now that it was certain that 
they would be swamped very soon as they were going, the 
little man decided that the attempt must be made. 

It was the only chance to save their lives, and he gave 
the order to cease rowing. 

“ I am going to try to get her around,” he shouted, “ so 
be ready with your oars the instant I give the word.” 

Not one of the boys there, with the possible exception of 
Bobby, was ignorant of the danger attending this attempt, 
and they knew that their lives depended upon the prompt- 
ness with which they obeyed the orders. 


246 Raising the "'Pearls 

For a few moments the wind forced the little craft di- 
rectly backward, and then, as her bow rose on the wave, it 
swung her around, flinging her down into the chasm of 
waters sideways. 

“ Pull, Charley ! Back water. Dare !” cried Captain Sam- 
my, sharply, knowing only too well that, if she was not 
turned while in the trough of the sea, she would almost 
certainly be swamped as she rose on the next wave, and 
at the same time he leaned over, helping Dare with his 
oar. 

The manoeuvre was successful, but it was not accom- 
plished a second too soon, since almost the instant it was 
done the little craft came up on the crest of the wave and 
the wind howled around them in a gust that was almost 
like a hurricane. ^ 

“]^ow row just enough to keep steerage- way on, and 
don’t put out too much strength,” said the little man, as 
he devoted all his attention to keeping the boat full before 
the wind. 

There was nothing more that could be done, and the 
party waited in terrible suspense for the shock which 
should tell them they had reached the land while the little 
craft scudded before the gale as if she had a sail set. 

Of course Captain Sammy knew that if they should 
strike the shore of the lake where there was a hard beach 


Raising the ^Rearir 247 

the boat would be stove, but against such an accident he 
could take no precautions, and it was far better to wreck 
their boat where they could gain the land than try to save 
the craft and be swamped. 

The rain seemed to descend in torrents, and Tommy was 
obliged to help Bobby in his work of bailing, or they 
might have been swamped. by the weight of rain-water 
that poured into her. 

“ Of course you know that we’re running for the shore ?” 
said Captain Sammy, after they had dashed along in silence 
for some time, ‘‘and when we strike it will be with great 
force, so keep yourself prepared for it. After the first 
shock tells that she is fast, make for the land if you can see 
it ; if not, stand by the boat until I’ve made the attempt.” 

From that time for fully an hour — and in their suspense 
it seemed as though it must be nearly morning — the party 
waited for the boat to strike the beach, all knowing only 
too well that, if they chanced to come upon some one of 
the tiny islands instead of the shore, there was every dan- 
ger of their being washed entirely over it. 

When at last the shock did come every one, save Captain 
Sammy, was hurled from his seat, and it was impossible to 
distinguish anything which told that they were near the 
land. 

The boat’s bow was stove in such a way that she filled 


248 Raising the '^Pearli^ 

with water almost immediately, and it was as if they had 
been thrown into the lake. 

Captain Sammy was about to leap over the side, to at- 
tempt to make his way to the land, if indeed they were 
on the shore of the lake, when Tommy scrambled toward 
him and said, almost imploringly, 

“I can swim better than you can, an’ it won’t make so 
much difference if I should be drowned, so let me go 
first and then, without waiting for an answer, he plunged 
over the side, being immediately lost to view. 

It would have been useless for Tommy to have waited 
for a reply, for Captain Sammy made none ; it seemed as 
if it was impossible for him to speak ; and when he passed 
his hand over his eyes it was not all fresh water that he 
wiped away. 

Clinging to the sides of their shattered boat, the party 
waited for some sound which should come from Tommy, 
telling that he had gained the shore in safety, or for the 
long silence which would proclaim the horrible fact that 
he had .lost his life in trying to save others. 

The waves were making a clean sweep over them, and 
it seemed as if each minute of that waiting was fully an 
hour long. 

Then Dare fancied he could hear some one calling, and, 
as he raised himself up to listen, he saw Tommy close 


EVERY ONE, SAVE CAPTAIN SAMMY, WAS HURLED FROM HIS SEAT. 






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Raising the ^Rearir 251 

* beside him, the wind causing his voice to sound as if he 
was a long distance away. 

“We are on a good hard beach,” he shouted, “and all 
you’ll have to do is to wade ashore.” 

At this news, which told that they had been waiting in 
dread within twenty feet of the main-land, the boys jumped 
out, and Captain Sammy ordered them to drag the wreck 
of the boat up with them, that the surf might not entirely 
destroy her. 

On the beach it was no more possible to distinguish ob- 
jects than when they had been on the water, but Captain 
Sammy led the way straight ahead, that they might gain 
some shelter from the storm in the woods. 

But the gale was so furious that it was impossible to 
find any shelter deserving of the name, and as they stood 
beside the enormous trees, which bent before the storm like 
reeds, they had even a better idea of the force of the wind 
than when they were scudding before it on the lake. 

While they were standing there, and before they had 
done anything toward trying to better their condition. 
Captain Sammy bethought himself of another and still 
more serious trouble which might have befallen them. 

“You let go the anchor to-night. Tommy, didn’t you?” 

“ Yes, sir.” 

“Which one did you use?” 


252 Raising the "'‘Pearir 

“ The smallest one ; it had been used the night before, 
and so I let it go to-night.” 

“ Then there is every chance that the Pearl is a greater 
wreck by this time than the boat is,” said Captain Sammy, 
solemnly; ‘‘for it doesn’t seem possible that one anchor, 
even if it had been the heavy one, could hold her against 
this gale.” 

There was no reply made to this ominous suggestion. 
Each one of the party knew of the dangers and privations 
which would be theirs, even though they did succeed in 
getting out of the Everglades, in case the Pearl had been 
wrecked, and to their present misery was added the horri- 
ble fear that they were, in truth, hopelessly wrecked on 
the shores of that inland sea. 

Their two days’ voyage of discovery had taken them 
just so much farther from the Caloosahatchee River, down 
which they must go to the coast, and they were that dis- 
tance farther in the Everglades, through which it might be 
impossible to make their way on foot. 

Their situation was a desperate one, whether the Pearl 
was safe or not; and they were far from bettering it by 
standing there in the storm thinking of the dreadful fate 
the future might have in store for them. 

“ Come,” said the little man, who was the first to arouse 
from the stupor of dread and fear into which all had 


253 


Raising the ''Pearls 

fallen, “ standing here shivering won’t mend matters, and 
what we’ve got to do is to try to get up some kind of a 
shelter, or we shall all be dissolved before morning.” 

He had tried to speak in a cheery tone, and it had a 
good effect, for the boys began to move around, which 
was far better than standing idle, even if they could not 
better their condition. 


254 


Raising the '‘^Pearli 


Chapter XXV. 



SUNSHINE AFTER THE STORM. 

^ HE darkness was so intense that it was only by 
feeling their way among the trees that the ship- 
wrecked party on the shores of Lake Okechobqp 
could manage to move along, and then it was, of 
course, impossible to do anything toward erecting a shelter. 

Captain Sammy had aroused them from the despair 
which had begun to creep over them, and that was all he 
cared to do, for he knew very well that it would have 
been impossible for them to put up so much of a shelter 
as would have shielded a cat from the storm, owing first 
to the darkness, and next to the wind, which would have 
torn away anything in the form of a camp as fast as it 
could have been put up. 

After the boys had learned how useless it was to try to 
make a shelter, and were settling down into discomfort 
again, the little man started them out along the beach, 
under the pretence that they might be able to discover 
some traces of the Pearl. 


255 


Raising the ^'Pearli' 

la this manner, urged on from one useless exertion to 
the other, the night passed. At about the time for the 
sun to rise the rain ceased to fall, the clouds dispersed, 
and when the orb of day came up on the eastern sky the 
heavens were clear and bright for his journey across them. 

With the first light of dawn each one of the party gazed 
anxiously around the shores of the lake, but as far as they 
could see there were no signs of the little steamer. 

“ Look for wreckage on the shore,” cried Captain Sam- 
my, eagerly, as from mere force of habit he shaded his 
eyes with his hands from the light which was hardly strong 
enough to permit of their seeing the shore on either side 
of them. 

But no such ominous signs were in sight, and there was 
still hope that the little craft was yet afloat. 

They had been thrown ashore where the smooth, hard 
beach extended for nearly half a mile, and to the left was 
a point of land around which it was possible the Pearl 
might be in view. 

“Bobby, you run over to that point and see if the steam- 
er is in sight from there, while the rest of us try what we 
can do toward patching up the tender,” said Captain Sam- 
my; “for we shall want her, whatever has happened to 
the Pearl, Then, if it should be that the little steamer 
is afloat, we must have the tender to get out to her in.” 


256 Raising the ''Pearir 

Bobby started off at full speed, while the others ex- 
amined the boat that had been hauled up on the beach. 
Her bow was stove past all hope of mending properly, 
but Captain Sammy believed he could fix her so that a 
short trip might be made in her. 

One of the oars and the rudder were gone, while the 
forward seat had fallen before the fiames Tommy had tried 
to keep burning the night before. 

But, fortunately for the party, the two fish that Bobby 
had saved when he threw the others overboard were still 
there. They had gotten wedged in under the stern-seat, 
and thus was the breakfast provided for the party who 
otherwise would have gone hungry. 

“ Now, Dare, you see if you can’t cook these fish, and 
Tommy take the bailing-dipper and go for some gum.” 

No one save he who had spoken and he who was spoken 
to understood what kind of gum was desired, or what it 
was wanted for ; but Tommy took the dipper and trudged 
off into the woods as unconcerned as ever. 

It was not as simple a matter to cook the fish as at first 
appeared, owing to the difficulty of kindling a fire, for 
each one of the party had been thoroughly drenched the 
night previous, and, of course, the matches had shared the 
same fate. 

But Captain Sammy was equal to this emergency, as he 


257 


Raising the ^Rearir 

had been to many others since the cruise commenced. 
After ordering Dare to find some wood which the heat 
of the morning sun had already dried, and have everything 
ready for the fire, Captain Sammy laid the wet matches 
on a rock in the sunlight. Around them he piled such 
dry material as he could readily find, and then, with the 
glasses from his and Dare’s watch, he made such a sun- 
glass as speedily ignited the matches, as well as the lighter 
portion of the wood. 

“ There’s your fire,” he said ; “ now get breakfast.” 

By this time Bobby, who had for a while disappeared 
around the point, came into view, running at the top of 
his speed, and while he was yet a long distance away those 
on the beach could hear him shout, 

“ The PearVs all right ! The PearVs all right !” 

Then, when he was nearer, he told them that, almost as 
far ahead as he could distinguish objects, he could see the 
steamer riding at anchor, and apparently uninjured. 

Captain Sammy’s face expressed the thankfulness he felt 
at thus knowing that their situation was simply one of un- 
comfortableness, and not actual danger, while his feelings 
were shared in a greater or less degree by all the others. 

hTow, as the fish began to splutter and hiss at being im- 
paled on sharp sticks in front of such a hot fire, all hands 
began to feel very hungry, and Bobby and Charley tried 

17 


258 Raising, the 'Rearli' 

to hurry the breakfast- time along by piling the fire high 
with wood — an operation which only served to sprinkle the 
fish more plentifully with ashes and cinders. 

Some time before this not particularly nice breakfast was 
ready Tommy returned, with his dipper nearly full of gum ; 
and when questioned by Charley as to what it was and 
where he got it, he replied that it was a substance which 
exuded from the gum-trees, and that he had been obliged 
to visit several to get that quantity, because, owing to the 
rain-storm, it did not fiow as freely as it would after three 
or four days of dry, hot weather. 

“ Captain Sammy’s goin’ to try to patch up the boat with 
it,” he added ; and the little man’s actions now showed that 
Tommy had told the truth. 

He had taken off his flannel shirt and torn it into strips, 
which he forced into the seams of the boat that had 
opened wfith the point of his knife. When the gum was 
handed to him he looked at it critically, told Tommy to 
put it on the fire, and went on with his work. 

The ex-pirate knew all about boiling gum down to use 
instead of tar, and he stirred the mixture carefully until 
fully two-thirds had boiled away, leaving a thick, dark ma- 
terial almost like melted glue. 

Breakfast was ready before Captain Sammy had finished 
caulking the boat with the flannel, and all hands partook 


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26 i 


Raising the ^Rearir 

of it as best they could with neither plates, knives, or forks ; 
but no one made a remarkably hearty meal, owing to the 
exceeding freshness of the food. 

After the rather unsatisfactory meal was ended Tommy 
proposed to the captain that he should go opposite to 
where the Pearl was lying, swim out to her, and try to 
work her in toward the shore, in order to do away with 
the necessity of spending so much labor on a useless boat. 

Captain Sammy looked up at him a moment as if to 
assure himself that he was really in earnest, and then said, 
as he pointed to an alligator that was swimming by just 
then, 

“ How far do you suppose those fellows would let you 
swim 

“ Oh, ril risk but that I could get out to the steamer 
before they could get hold of me,” laughed Tommy. 

“ But I don’t propose to have you risk it,” said the cap- 
tain, in a tone that showed he considered all argument was 
at an end. “ I’m about done now, all but putting the gum 
on. As soon as I spread that you take the dipper and fill 
it again, while the other boys are walking as far toward the 
Pearl as they can go on the shore. Then you boil the 
gum down, and follow them. I’ll go in the boat ; and I 
don’t want to carry any more of a load than I can help, 
for she isn’t over and above strong.” 


262 Raising the ^'Pearir 

Captain Sammy spread a thick coating over the seams, 
and while it was hardening Tommy started off gum-gath- 
ering again, while the other boys went down the beach in 
the direction of the steamer. 

When at last Captain Sammy had repaired the boat as 
well as was possible under the circumstances, and Tommy 
was obliged to fill the dipper twice more before he had fin- 
ished, she was very nearly water-tight. There were two or 
three small leaks, but it would be impossible for any more 
than water enough to wet their feet to come in during the 
short voyage they would be obliged to take. 

“ Now run on and join the other boys. Tommy, an’ I’ll 
pick you up when you come to the end of the beach,” said 
Captain Sammy, as he got into the boat, using the solitary 
oar to scull with. 

Tommy started off, and when he reached the others at 
a point where the beach merged into swampy land he 
found that they were hardly more than a half mile from 
the steamer. 

When Captain Sammy came up he took Dare and Tom- 
my in the boat, and, after they reached the Pearly sent 
Tommy back for the other two. 

When the party were once more on the steamer they 
found, to their great satisfaction, that she had suffered but 
little damage from the storm. Some of the lighter articles 


Raising the 'Rearir 263 

that had been on deck, including two birds Dare had just 
finished mounting, had been either blown or washed over- 
board, and considerable water had been shipped. 

The little craft had swung around and over-ridden her 
anchor-chain in such a way as to chafe her side ; but every- 
thing could be set to rights in a short time, and it is safe 
to say that a more thankful party never gathered on Lake 
Okechobee than was this, when the inspection was fin- 
ished. 


264 


Raising the ^^Pearli 


Chapter XXVI. 



HOMEWARD BOUND. 

PITHIX two hours after the shipwrecked party 
were on the Pearl all the mischief wrought by 
the storm had been repaired, save in the case of 
the tender, and she could not be made thoroughly 
serviceable again until the proper tools and material could 
be procured. 

When Captain Sammy had patched her up with gum 
and flannel it was only with the idea that she was to be 
used for taking them back to the Pearl again. He knew 
very well that she would not be serviceable for a longer 
time than that work would occupy ; and when, everything 
else being done, the little tender was pulled on board the 
Pearly it did not require a very careful examination to see 
that it would not be safe to venture in her again. 

“We can’t land again, boys, unless at some place where 
we can run the steamer right up to the bank, for it would 
be worse than foolhardy to attempt to get any distance in 
this boat, especially with so many alligators around.” 


Raising the ^Rearir 265 

The boys were rather disappointed when they realized 
that their hunting trips were over; but they did not un- 
derstand that the loss of that pleasure was not all that the 
wrecking of the boat meant, untill Captain Sammy said, 
“And if you can’t go on shore we shall be sadly put to 
it for provisions. We shall be obliged to eat fish three 
times a day, and I reckon you’ll get rather tired of that 
kind of a diet before long.” 

“ But what can we do ?” asked Dare ; and it was evident 
from his reply that Captain Sammy had been leading the 
conversation up to the point where such a question would 
naturally be asked, for he replied, quickly, 

“ I’ll tell you what I think we’d better do, and then you 
can decide matters to please yourselves, for I’m willing to 
go or stay, just as you say. It’s settled that we can’t land 
here, unless we keep steam up all the time, and that we 
can hardly do, on account of coal. How, it will get lone- 
some after you’ve been shut up on the boat a few days, so 
I propose that you go on shore for a grand hunting ex- 
cursion to-morrow, and that we lay still the next day, of 
course, for it is Sunday. On Monday we will start for the 
sponge-fisheries, where some of my vessels are, and from 
there go home. In Tampa we can get our boat fixed, fit 
out anew, and then start for the Florida reefs. What do 
you say ?” 


266 Raising the ^^Pearir 

Since returning to Tampa did not mean giving up the 
cruise, but simply making two instalments of it, the boys 
readily agreed to the little man’s plan, and began over- 
hauling and cleaning their guns preparatory to the next 
day’s hunt. 

Some fishing was done over the rail that afternoon, not 
for the sake of sport, but that they might have food; and 
when the party went to bed at night there was not one 
among them who felt sorry they were so soon to leave the 
Everglades. 

On the following morning there was a light breeze set- 
ting toward the land, and Captain Sammy concluded to 
allow the little craft to drift in to the shore, rather than 
go to the trouble of getting up steam ; but he took very 
good care to let go the anchor some distance from the 
shore, paying out the cable till her bow struck the beach, 
so that she could be hauled out to a safer anchorage at 
night. 

His orders to the sailors-turned-hunters were, that they 
should not go into the woods more than a quarter of a 
mile, at the farthest, and that under no circumstances were 
they to follow any wounded animal more than a hundred 
yards. 

Hot being particularly in search of large game, the boys 
were perfectly willing to obey the commands which were 


THE BOYS ADDING TO THEIB STOCK OF CURIOUS BIRDS. 



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Raising the '^Pearli' 269 

given with a view to their own safety ; and their hunting 
that day was chiefly directed to getting more specimens 
of the feathered tribes to add to their already rather large 
collection. 

But Dare was careful to see that their larder was pro- 
vided for, and he bagged quite as much as could be eaten 
before it would spoil, after which he joined the others in 
their search for rare birds. 

During the entire day the hunting match was kept up, 
the boys going on board the steamer once or twice for the 
purpose of carrying their game, or of getting something to 
eat ; and when night came they were quite tired enough to 
go to sleep as soon as they had rolled into their berths. 

The next day, which was Sunday, was spent quietly on 
the steamer. Captain Sammy talking to them in a way 
which was as impressive as any sermon they had ever 
heard. 

Bright and early Monday morning Charley was up and 
in the engine-room, and by seven o’clock the paddles of 
the Pearl began to revolve as she started on the home- 
ward trip. 

Down through the narrow stream leading from Lake 
Okechobee to Lake Kackpochee the steamer glided; and 
if the tender had been in condition to use the boys would 
have pleaded hard for one day on the smaller lake, so much 


270 Raising the ‘'‘Pearls 

more cheerful-looking did it seem than the vast body of 
water on which they had been so long. 

The first day’s journey ended about five o’clock in the 
afternoon, when the yacht came to an anchor a short dis- 
tance below Fort Deynaud ; and after supper all hands 
went into the standing-room, as had come to be their cus- 
tom at the close of each day. 

After they had been there a short time Captain Sammy 
pulled out of his pocket a small piece of printed paper, 
which was very much crumpled and soiled. 

‘‘ There,” he said, as he handed it to Dare — “ there is a 
piece about sponges that I cut out of an old book I found, 
an’ I want you to read it aloud, so’s you an’ your messmates 
will know all about what they’re goin’ to see, an’ won’t be 
worrying the life out of me asking questions.” 

Dare took the printed slip in silence, for he had learned 
that it was better not to remonstrate with Captain Sammy, 
even when he appeared to be unjust, and read the article 
as he had been told to do, while the little man smoked 
and stroked his chin with evident satisfaction. 

And this is what Dare read : 

“ The kinds of sponges that are fit for use are found in 
the seas of warm climates. Two species are brought from 
the Levant, and a very inferior one from the West Indies 
and coast of Florida. The trade in sponges is very consid- 


Raising the '‘^Pearir 271 

erable, and is carried on chiefly by the Turks and the in- 
habitants of the Bahama Islands. The number of men 
employed in the Ottoman sponge-flshery is between four 
and flve thousand, forming the crews of about six hundred 
boats. These boats And their chief employment on the 
coasts of Candia, Barbary, and Syria. Here the sponge is 
obtained by divers, who take down with them a flat piece 
of stone of triangular shape, with a hole drilled through 
one of its corners ; to this a cord is attached, and the diver 
makes it serve to guide him to particular spots. When he 
reaches the growing sponges he tears them ofl the rocks 
and places them under his arms; he then pulls at the 
ropes, which is the signal for his companions in the boat 
to draw him up. 

“ The value of sponges collected in Greece and Turkey 
is from $450,000 to $500,000 annually. The Greeks of 
the Morea, instead of diving, obtain sponges by a pronged 
instrument ; but the sponges thus collected are torn, and 
sell at a low price. The best sponges are obtained from 
detached heads of rocks, in eight or ten fathoms of water. 
The sponges from the Bahamas and the Florida coast are 
of a larger size and coarser quality. They are torn from 
the rocks by a fork, at the end of a long pole. To rid 
them of the animal matter they are buried for some days 
in the sand, and then soaked and washed.” 


272 


Raising the '‘'‘Pearls 

“ There,” said Captain Sammy, when Dare had finished 
reading, “ I could have told you all that just as well as for 
you to read it ; but now you’ve got it just as it was writ 
down, an’ if it ain’t right you can’t be throwin’ it in my 
teeth that I don’t know nothing.” 

Then Captain Sammy relapsed into a moody silence, 
looking as if no amount of coaxing or persuasion could 
thaw him out, for fully ten minutes. At the end of that 
time he began to tell stories, only stopping when it was 
absolutely necessary that they should go to bed. 


Raising the 'Rearli 


273 


Chapter XXVII. 

RECKLESS STEERING. 

r had been announced by Captain Sammy, just 
before they had retired, that he was anxious to 
anchor in Charlotte harbor the next night, so that 
they could reach the sponge-fishers at an early hour 
Wednesday morning. It was necessary that he should 
have a long day with them, in order to finish his business 
by nightfall. 

To do this they must begin their preparations for the 
start as soon as it was light enough to admit of their 
working. 

It hardly seemed to the boys as if they had been in bed 
ten minutes when Captain Sammy called them next morn- 
ing ; but they got up, regardless of their desire for another 
nap, and the result of their early rising was that they 
swung around the point of Boca Grand Key just at sun- 
set. 

The yacht had been kept running at full speed all day, 
and, as a natural consequence, each one of the boys had 

18 


274 Raising the ''Pearir 

/ 

been obliged to work so hard that they had not the slight- 
est desire to visit the picturesque little town on the key. 

They retired at once, and started again at nearly as early 
an hour on the following morning, each one being anxious 
to see this strange fishery where a marine plant was the 
kind of fish sought. for. 

The sponge-fishers were employed not far from Tampa 
Bay ; therefore when Captain Sammy had finished his busi- 
ness among them it would require only a few hours’ run 
for the Pearl into Tampa. 

Three hours after they had left Boca Grande, Captain 
Sammy pointed directly ahead to some low islands or keys, 
lying almost level with the water, and around which a 
number of vessels or boats could be seen. 

‘‘ There are the sponge-fishers,” he announced, and in 
less than an hour we shall come to anchor among them.” 

The boys had fully expected to see a novel sight when 
once they were among the sponge-fishers, despite Tommy’s 
assertion that there “wasn’t much to be seen,” and they 
were all excitement as they approached. 

But when the Pearl was anchored in the very midst of 
the fleet of vessels, and nothing was to be seen more 
strange than a number of small boats, each containing from 
two to four men, all engaged in plunging long poles into 
the water, and drawing them up, with a mass of sponge at 


Raising the Pearls 275 

the end, they were disposed to feel that they had been de- 
frauded in some way. 

It was really less novel and interesting to see these men 
than it was to see a party spearing eels, and after the 
boys had watched them for half an hour they had seen all 
they cared about. 

Captain Sammy had been bustling around, making fran- 
tic signals with his hands, from the time the Pearl had 
first come to an anchor, and all his noise and fuss resulted 
•in a spare boat being sent to them from a schooner of his 
called the Bonita. 

The little man proposed to visit all the vessels lying 
there; those which he owned to see that the work was 
being conducted to suit him, and the others for the pur- 
pose of bargaining for the purchase of the sponge, the 
greater quantity of which was sold in Key West. 

And it was not his intention to take any of his own men 
away from their work to row him around on his tour of 
inspection and purchase, for he said, in the most benevolent 
manner possible, and as though he were conferring some 
great favor, 

I’m going to let Bobby and Tommy row the boat, and 
Dare and Cliarley can stay here to keep ship.” 

Neither of the two boys selected had any very great 
desire to labor at the oars on an errand which would be so 


276 Raising the ''Pearli' 

uninteresting to them; but they were careful not to let 
Captain Sammy see that they looked upon it other than 
as the greatest favor. 

After they had left the steamer Dare and Charley found 
it rather hard work to amuse themselves in a place where 
there was really so little to be seen. They watched the 
sharks as they glided around among the boats in search of 
prey, their dorsal fins visible above the water, looking sinis- 
ter because of the very grace and swiftness of their move- 
ments. 

After this they set to work catching fish, for the pur- 
pose of surprising Captain Sammy by having a chowder 
all ready for him when he should come on board for din- 
ner, and they did succeed in surprising him, for neither 
he nor any one else could have told what the dark-looking 
mixture was simply by judging from its taste and appear- 
ance. 

Captain Sammy really appeared to be grieved because 
the captain and engineer of the Pearl knew no more about 
cooking than was shown by this chowder, and he obliged 
them to watch all his movements while he cooked two 
ducks, giving them a long lecture on cooking, which was 
only finished when the dinner was. 

“ Pm goin’ to take you in hand on the next cruise,” he 
said, as he got into the boat again, “and by the time we’ve 


Raising the Pearls 277 

been the whole length of the reef you will be able to get 
up almost as good a dinner as I can.” 

But he seemed to think they could wash dishes well 
enough, for he left the yacht without doing anything to- 
ward helping to clean up the little cook-room or the din- 
ing-table, and it was fully an hour, owing to their awk- 
wardness, before Dare and Charley succeeded in doing it 
in anything like a proper manner. 

After this work was done the boys lounged on the seats 
in the standing-room, wishing that Captain Sammy would 
return, so that they could get away from the very disagree- 
able odor caused by the decaying sponges, until the move- 
ments of an incoming schooner attracted their attention. 

She evidently was one of the fleet of sponge-gatherers, 
but the singular manner in which she was handled caused 
great surprise to the boys, amateur sailors though they were. 

It seemed as if the helmsman had no idea as to where he 
wanted to go or what he should do, for he steered his ves- 
sel in the wildest possible manner, and without the slight- 
est regard to the direction of the wind. The craft would 
be headed directly for one of the anchored vessels, as if the 
only purpose was to run her down, and then she would 
come about, with sails flapping, blocks rattling, and men 
shouting, standing toward another vessel. 

This singular behavior on the part of the crew or cap- 


278 Raising the '‘'Pearls 

tain of the schooner caused the greatest excitement among 
the other fishermen, and they shouted and yelled at those 
on board the offending vessel until there was a perfect 
Babel of confusion. 

“It won’t be many minutes before some craft gets 
smashed, if they keep on at this rate,” said Charley, when 
the vessel grazed by the side of one that was anchored not 
far from the Pearl. 

“ The men must have been drinking,” said Dare, and in 
a few moments the craft was so near that the boys could 
plainly see those on board, and it was only too evident that, 
from the captain down, all hands were in a state of com- 
plete and beastly intoxication. 

They had probably just received pay for their cargo of 
sponges, and the money which they had labored hard and 
braved so many dangers for had been used to degrade 
them to a level many degrees lower than the brutes. 

But those on the yacht had no time for contemplation of 
the besotted sailors, for their position of spectators was 
quickly changed to that of participators in the general ex- 
citement. 

The vessel, which had been some distance from them, 
now changed her course, heading directly for the Pearly 
and in such a direction as to strike her about midships. 

“ They’ll run us down, sure !” cried Dare, as he jumped 


DAKE WAS TUGGING AWAY AT THE CABLE. 




28 i 


Raising the ^Rearir 

to his feet, with the intention of signaling them ; but, as he 
realized how useless that would be, he shouted to Charley, 
“ See if there isn’t steam enough on to send us ahead a lit- 
tle way, and I’ll trip the anchor.” 

Since they had intended to remain on the sponging- 
grounds twenty-four hours at least, the fires had been 
drawn, and Charley knew even before he rushed into the 
engine-room that there was not an ounce of steam in the 
boilers ; hut yet he made the trial, shouting to Dare almost 
immediately afterward. 

It’s no use ; the water isn’t even warm.” 

Dare was tugging away at the cable, and as Charley 
spoke he looked up at the approaching schooner. 

Her sails were full, and she was not more than a hun- 
dred feet away, coming with a force that must crush the 
yacht like an egg-shell. 

“Help me launch the boat!” Dare shouted. “She will 
keep us from the sharks a few moments at all events.” 


282 


Raising the '‘Rearll 


Chapter XXVIII. 


THE NEWS AT TAMPA. 

^HE excitement among the fishermen was now 
intense; there seemed to be no chance but that 
^ the little steamer would be run down, and, in such 
event, the lives of those on board were in great 
peril. It was hardly possible that they could remain in 
the water a single instant without being devoured by the 
sharks, and the vessel that was sailing toward them was so 
high out of the water, owing to having no cargo on board, 
that it would hardly be possible for the boys to gain any 
hold of her as she came crashing on to them. 

Every boat in the vicinity was headed at once toward 
the apparently doomed steamer, but yet not one of them 
could, by any possibility, reach her for some moments after 
the crash would come. 

Meanwhile the boys on board were working with an 
energy and desperation such as could only have come to 
them in a moment of as great peril as they were then in. 

The boat would hardly be of much service to them after 


Raising the 'Rearli' 283 

they got her launched, for, lying in the sun as she had 
been, the seams, that were only imperfectly closed at the 
first, were now opened so that she would hardly fioat more 
than five minutes. But, as Dare had said, she might serve 
to keep them from the sharks a few moments, and in that 
time some one of the other boats might pick them up. 

It was no light task to launch the boat unaided in the 
few seconds they had at their disposal ; but yet they suc- 
ceeded just as the schooner, with her drunken crew, were 
within ten or twelve feet of them. 

At this moment, whether by chance, or because some 
idea of the damage they were about to do gained an en- 
trance into their stupefied brains, no one ever knew, the 
helmsman jammed his wheel hard down, and the craft was 
just beginning to sheer around in obedience to it when she 
struck the Pearl. 

Dare and Charley were all ready to leap into the almost 
sinking boat when the final crash came, and Dare saw the 
helmsman’s movement. 

“ Hold on !” he shouted to Charley ; “ she won’t strike us 
full, and there are a good many chances that the Pearl 
won’t sink.” 

Even as he spoke the blow came, and both boys were 
hurled to the deck, while the tender, which they had been 
at such labor in launching, was sunk immediately. 


284 Raising the ^Rearli' 

It was hardly more than a hair’s-breadth which had 
saved them ; for they were saved, even though such a 
blow had been struck at the little craft. 

When Dare had started to trip the anchor he had, al- 
most unconsciously, let off the turn of the cable from the 
miniature windlass, and the consequence was that the yacht 
was riding almost as free as if no anchor had been down. 
The wind, acting on her upper works as on a sail, had be- 
gun to force her through the water sideways, which di- 
minished the blow very sensibly. The schooner, having 
begun to veer around, did not strike the Pearl with her 
cut- water, but hit a glancing blow that had the effect of 
forcing her along, instead of bearing her down. The im- 
petus was so great, however, that the Pearl was carried 
along to the full length of her chain-cable, which snapped 
apart as if it had been a thread, nearly flinging her on to 
a vessel anchored on the port side. 

The starboard rail was entirely stove in, but no damage 
had been done below the water-line, and Dare and Charley, 
scrambling to their feet, made every exertion to get the 
other anchor down before they should drift into some of 
the other craft, and thus work more damage to themselves. 

Captain Sammy, with Bobby and Tommy, who had 
pulled for the yacht with all their strength when they saw 
the peril she was in, came on board almost immediately 


Raising the ^'Pearir 285 

after the second anchor was down. The little man occu- 
pied at least ten minutes of his time in shaking his fist and 
scolding at those who had been the means of losing him 
a cable and anchor, as well as of crushing one rail almost 
into kindling-wood. 

After he had thus freed his mind he turned his atten- 
tion to examining the damage done, and after that was as- 
certained he said, with a sigh of relief, 

“Well, we ought to be very thankful that it is no 
worse. When I saw those drunken brutes sailing right 
down on you I made sure that the Pearl was gone forever, 
and your being saved was only a question of how long it 
would be before we could get at you. It won’t cost much 
time or money to make the rail as good as new, and we 
have got out of the scrape cheaply.” 

By this time the career of the vessel with her drunken 
crew was over. They had tried the experiment of run- 
ning one of the islands down, as they had attempted to 
the Pearly and the consequence was that the vessel was 
ashore in what looked to be a sinking condition. 

Captain Sammy had nearly completed his work, when it 
became necessary to start to the aid of Dare and Charley, 
and now he concluded that he would try to do no more 
that day. 

“We can stop here on our way to the reef,” he said. 


286 


Raising the '‘Rearir 

‘‘ and then I can see those whom I have not already talked 
with. We will spend the rest of the day in fixing the rail, 
so that we sha’n’t look so much as if we had been out in a 
gale when we go into port, and to-morrow morning we will 
start for Tampa.’^ 

The tender which they were to repair having now gone 
to the bottom, or fioated ofi full of water, it would be nec- 
essary to have a new boat for the Pearly and Captain Sam- 
my concluded to keep the one that had been sent him from 
the Bonita^ which fact he announced to the vessel’s captain, 
with a great- deal of unnecessary scolding about those who 
had done the mischief. 

Now that they had a boat again the boys concluded that 
they would go on shore, to see what the little village on the 
key looked like ; and when Captain Sammy announced that 
the rail was patched as well as it could be until he could 
get the steamer home, they started for the land, leaving the 
little man alone to keep ship. 

There was nothing on shore to interest them, save the 
“ crawls ” or pens for turtles, which appeared to make up the 
belongings of each household as much as a hen-pen does to 
that of a farmer’s in the interior States. They inspected 
the occupants of these crawls, with a view to distinguishing 
the different species Captain Sammy had told them about, 
and then returned to the yacht. 


Raising the ''Pearir 287 

That evening they had the good-fortune to witness one 
of those phenomena of the sea which, once seen, is never 
forgotten. 

The evening was calm, with no light save that shed by 
the stars or the little, twinkling lights displayed at the 
mast-head of the vessels. As the last gray shadows, re- 
membrances of the sunset, faded into black Captain Sam- 
my called all hands on deck to see the phosphorescent sea, 
which was more than usually luminous. 

The water was as smooth as glass, and, whenever any- 
thing was thrown into it, it was as if the object had broken 
through the surface of a sea of molten gold. Striking 
the water with an oar caused a shower of golden drops, 
each one enframed, as it fell back into the sea again, in a 
circle of the same brilliant color, the whole forming as 
brilliant and beautiful a picture as the boys had ever seen. 

They remained up a long time after they should have 
been in bed, dipping their hands beneath the surface and 
withdrawing them coated with gold ; describing great cir- 
cles in lines of fire, or sending up showers of the brilliant 
liquid. Captain Sammy explained that the phosphoresence 
was caused by an infinite number of anirnalculse in the wa- 
ter, which gave out this brilliant light ; but his explanation 
was so meagre and unsatisfactory that the boys privately 
determined to study up the matter when they got home. 


288 


Raising the ^'Pearir 

It was nine o’clock on the following morning when the 
yacht Pearly Darrell Evans commanding, swept around 
Mullet Key into the waters of Tampa Bay, and three hours 
later she was made fast to the pier at Captain Sammy’s 
dock. 

“Kow you boys run home, so that your parents will 
know I brought you back whole, and the pirate and I 
will attend to cleaning up,” said Captain Sammy ; and the 
boys were not long in obeying him. 

Bushing into the hotel with the impetuosity of young 
whirlwinds, in the hope of surprising Mr. and Mrs. Evans, 
their joy was considerably checked when the landlord said 
to them, just as they were almost tumbling up the stairs 
in their eagerness, 

“ Your father and mother went home last week.” 

All three stood looking at the man as if they could not 
understand what he had said ; and, as a way of making 
them realize the truth of his assertion, he handed Dare a 
letter. 

It was from Mr. Evans, stating that business had called 
him suddenly away, and Mrs. Evans was not willing to be 
left behind. He had left passage tickets for the boys, and 
they were to return home as soon as they received his letter. 

‘‘ Oh dear ! and we have got to go back without finishing 
our cruise,” said Charley, in a mournful tone. 


Raising the ''Pearls 289 

“ Yes,” replied Dare, “ we must go, for he says, come as 
soon as we get the letter. Of course, if he had known 
that we should get it before the voyage was over, he would 
have said that we could stay until it was done; but since 
he didn’t know that, we must go home.” 

It was a sorrowful party that retraced their steps to the 
dock to tell Captain Sammy and Tommy that, so far as 
they were concerned, the cruise was over. And the other 
members of the PearVs crew were quite as sad about it as 
the boys were. 

“ It can’t be helped, lads,” said Captain Sammy, philo- 
sophically. “All we can hope is that you will be back 
here again before the winter is over. You can’t leave 
here until four o’clock to-morrow afternoon, so you had 
better pack up your birds and other things you’ve got 
aboard here this afternoon ; and to-morrow morning, not 
later than ten o’clock, come around to my house, and the 
pirate and I will give you a dinner such as you ought to 
learn how to cook.” 


19 


290 


Raising the '‘Rearll 


Chapter XXIX. 



THE FAREWELL DINNER. 

Y the arrangement which Captain Sammy had 
made the entire portion of the last day they were 
to remain in Tampa was to be spent with him. 

The steamer sailed for Cedar Keys — at which 
point they were to take the cars for Fernandina, leaving 
there in a steamer — at four o’clock in the afternoon, and 
an early dinner was to be served, in order that they might 
havb as much of the afternoon as possible in which to visit 
for the last time the little steamer which had been their 
home for so many days. 

It lacked fully ten minutes of the time appointed when 
Dare knocked at the door of Captain Sammy’s home, which 
was immediately opened by Tommy. 

They were almost too much surprised for words at the 
pirate’s changed appearance. His hair was combed neatly, 
his face was perfectly clean, and his costume was that of 
a particularly neat sailor out for a holiday. White flannel 
trousers and shirt with blue collar and cuffs, in the corners 


Raising the Pearl!' 291 

of which was worked white stars, gave to the once disrep- 
utable-looking boy the neatest possible appearance. 

Captain Sammy could be seen in the adjoining room, 
dressed with the same scrupulous neatness ; but he was too 
busily engaged about something to be able to stop to speak, 
or even scold. 

But the room in which they had been ushered was the 
most wonderful of anything they had seen in the State, 
for it was as full of odd little things as an overstocked 
museum. The mantel -piece fairly bristled with whales’ 
teeth, sharks’ teeth, and alligators’ teeth ; each corner of 
the room was completely filled with sprays and branches 
of coral, while every available inch of space on the walls 
was covered with pictures of all kinds of possible and im- 
possible looking vessels. 

A stuffed bird was standing on his head under one of 
the windows, as if it had been frightened at the many 
strange things around, and had assumed that attitude in 
sheer desperation. The model of a vessel, possibly the 
same one Captain Sammy had commanded, stood against 
an enormous turtle-shell, and at one end of the room lay 
at least a bushel of shells of almost every conceivable 
variety. 

Bits of rope, in which were tied all kinds of curious 
knots, complicated blocks, and odds and ends of every de- 


292 Raising the ^Rearir 

scription littered the room, save directly under the mantel- 
piece, where stood what the visitors thought was the most 
beautiful article of all. 

This was neither more nor less than a trim little schoon- 
er, about six feet long, rigged in the most perfect manner, 
with neither a block nor a line missing or out of place. 

Captain Sammy entered the room just as the boys were 
gazing at the vessel, and a grim look of satisfaction came 
over his face as he observed the visitors’ admiration of 
this, which was probably his favorite article among all the 
curiosities. 

“ Can she sail. Captain Sammy ?” asked Dare. 

“ That she can,” replied the little man, enthusiastically ; 
“she can live in almost any weather; an’ I’ve seen more 
lives saved through the craft that this one’s the model of 
than I ever saw lost, which is say in’ a good deal. Sail ? 
why, that ’ere craft could turn a square corner, if anybody 
that knew how much twice two was could get on board 
of her. Sail? why, she could get clean away from the 
wind, an’ have to lay-to till it caught up with her.” 

Captain Sammy patted the sides of the little craft as if 
it was some living thing that could understand his caresses, 
and then, glancing up at the clock, he rushed off to the 
kitchen in the greatest possible haste. 

Master Tucker seemed to take naturally to this great 


293 


Raising the ''PearR 

change in his surroundings, and, in answer to Dare’s ques- 
tions, he told them that Captain Sammy had announced his 
intention of regularly adopting him. The little man had 
already visited Mrs. Tucker, and, by promising to contrib- 
ute a certain amount each month toward her support, had 
induced her to consent to the plan. 

Therefore Tommy was to begin to attend school on the 
following Monday, and he would persist that all the changes 
in his circumstances were wholly due to the boys, who had 
shown him by example that true pleasure and right-doing 
go hand in hand. 

All this conversation, which was broken in upon from 
time to time by their admiration of the schooner, had oc- 
cupied them so long that when it was finished Captain 
Sammy popped his head in at the door and shouted, as if 
he thought they were miles away, 

“ Shipmates, ahoy ! All hands to dinner !” 

They went into the kitchen, where Captain Sammy, with 
evident pride, gave them seats at a table that seemed al- 
most groaning under the weight of evidences of his skill 
as cook. Turtle, which was cooked in every imaginable 
way, was the principal dish, and in addition to it were fish, 
fowl, and fruit sufficient for at least a dozen hungry men. 

It was Captain Sammy’s purpose to have them partake 
of everything on the table ; and so strictly did he carry it 


294 Raising the Pearls 

out, that even when Bobby had eaten so much that he had 
serious doubts as to whether he could walk home, or would 
be obliged to get the others to roll him along like a bar- 
rel, the little man glared at him so fiercely that he ate an- 
other turtle-steak and two more oranges, through fear of 
personal violence. 

And it was a jolly time; for when the little man was 
not scolding or frowning at his guests because they did 
not eat more he was brimful of fun, and told stories until 
their heads were as full of the wonders of the sea as their 
stomachs were with food. 

“ IS’ow,” said Captain Sammy, after he was satisfied that 
full justice had been done to his feast, and the table looked 
as if it had been swept by an invading army, “ Bm down- 
right sorry that you’re goin’ away, for I’d counted on hav- 
ing you here with my pirate for a long time yet. I’d 
made up my mind that we’d all go out turtle-fishing in 
May, and that would have been rare sport, where all you 
would have to do would be to walk up to an old turtle, 
after she’d laid her eggs, an’ tilt her over on her back.” 

Even though the boys did not speak their faces showed 
so plainly how sad they were at not being able to partici- 
pate in such glorious sport, that Captain Sammy added, 
quickly, 

“ If it can’t be done this year it can another, an’ when- 


THE FAREWELL DINNER WITH CAPTAIN SAMMY 









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Raising the Pearls 297 

ever you come you know you’ll be welcome here. The 
pirate an’ I shall stay right on this spot till my old bones 
are laid away like a bale of sponges, to make ’em ready for 
the great Captain, who won’t ask where I hail from, only 
wantin’ to know if I sailed close by his compass. It was 
Tommy here,” and the little man laid his hand affection- 
ately on the boy’s shoulder, “ who saved my old life when 
it wasn’t hardly worth the saving, an’ he an’ I’ll be to- 
gether as long as I stay in this world ; an’, next to him, it 
was you who saved me, for if it hadn’t been for you he 
wouldn’t have been where he was. I ain’t much on talkin’, 
lads, but my heart is in the right place, an’ all I can say 
is, that jest so long as I’ve got a roof over my head, or a 
deck under my feet, jest so long I’ll give you up three- 
quarters of it, an’ be glad of the chance.” 

Captain Sammy’s eyes were getting suspiciously red, and 
when he finished speaking he arose hastily from the table 
and went out on the veranda, where the boys found him 
shortly after, sending up great clouds of tobacco-smoke in 
the most furious manner. 

After that the Pearl was visited for the last time, and, 
with hearts heavy at leaving this strangely-assorted couple, 
whom they had learned to like so well, the last adieus were 
spoken, and the boys were on the steamer bound for home. 
******* 


298 Raising the ''‘Pearls 

Although Dare, Charley, and Bobby had fully intended 
to visit Florida during the following winter, circumstances 
prevented, and it was not until last year that they suc- 
ceeded in so doing. 

Then they went by the way of Jacksonville ; and, al- 
though they had never seen that beautiful winter resort, 
they did not remain there an hour longer than was neces- 
sary. 

There was but one place in Florida they were anxious to 
reach, and but two persons they particularly wanted to see. 
That place was Tampa, and those persons Captain Sammy 
and his pirate Tommy. 

They started on the first train that left Jacksonville for 
Cedar Keys, and there they were so fortunate as to land 
an hour before the time for the mail-steamer to start for 
Tampa. 

They had given no intimation of their intended visit, 
answering Tommy’s last letter without once mentioning 
the subject that for five years had lain so near the pirate’s 
heart — their visit to him since he had become a steady, 
honest boy. 

Therefore there was no familiar face to greet them as 
they landed from the steamer, and they were all the better 
pleased that it was so, for the surprise would be the more 
complete. 


Raising the "Rearir 299 

During the five years they had been absent from Tampa 
they had by no means forgotten the way to Captain Sam- 
my’s house, and when they approached it they were 
thoroughly well pleased at seeing such evidences as told 
that the ‘‘family” were at home, and unaware of their 
presence. 

Captain Sammy’s familiarly gruff voice called out “ Come 
in !” in response to their knock, and, opening the door, they 
saw the little captain leaning back in his favorite chair, 
smoking, while seated at the table was Tommy Tucker 
Basset — he having long since been legally adopted by Cap- 
tain Sammy — reading aloud from one of the little man’s 
favorite authors. 

It was a hearty greeting that both the occupants of the 
cottage gave them, and the three weeks they spent there 
were as full of enjoyment as Captain Sammy and his pirate 
— as he would still persist in calling him, very much to 
Tommy’s confusion — could fill them. 

Although they did not attempt to reach the Everglades 
again, they took many a cruise in the Pearly which looked 
as bright and new as if she had just been built ; and when 
at last their visit was ended Captain Sammy and Tommy 
took them up to Cedar Keys in the yacht. 

“ Come soon again,” said the little man, as they parted 
at the railroad-station. “ I don’t tell you not to forget us, 


300 


Raising the ^Rearir 

for that I know you never will, and you may be sure 
that we shall never forget you, for my pirate learned what 
pleasure there was in leading an upright, God-fearing life 
when you boys came down here and took the job of raising 
the Pearl, Good-bye !” 


THE END. 


I 


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